Papa Pain
by Mythril Moth
Summary: After Chloé's latest mean-spirited stunt leaves Marinette in tears, Tom Dupain is Akumatized by Hawk Moth, and Ladybug is conflicted about her willingness to protect the one person she hates most.
1. Part 1: Papa Pain

**MIRACULOUS LADYBUG: "PAPA PAIN"**

 _by Mythril Moth_

An average Wednesday dawned bright and clear in Paris. At Collège Françoise Dupont, students rushed to their homerooms, anxious to beat the tardy bell. Those already safely inside their classrooms chatted lightly with friends or engaged in various social media activities on their smartphones—or rushed to finish up homework before the teacher arrived.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng looked at the two tickets in her hand. They hadn't been cheap tickets, and it had taken a _lot_ of babysitting and online sales of her handcrafts to save up for them. With a smile, she clutched them tightly, then looked to the classroom door. Beside her, her best friend Alya Césaire smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "You can do this," she said.

Marinette swallowed nervously. "I...I hope so," she said.

Adrien Agreste walked through the door, chatting lightly with his best friend Nino. As he took his seat, Marinette stood up, steeling herself, and stepped down to stand in front of their table. "A-Adrien?" she asked.

Adrien looked up at her, smiling. "Oh, hey Marinette. What's up?"

Marinette gulped. "Umm, I..." She felt herself starting to babble, but forced herself to take a deep breath. "So! Do you like the Subdigitals?"

Adrien's eyes lit up. "Do I? They're _awesome!_ They might just be my favorite after Jagged Stone!"

"Oh! Good, me too!" Marinette laughed nasally. "Oh! I mean, umm...TICKETS!" She slapped her hand on the table, spreading the tickets out. "I've got tickets to their concert Saturday night! Umm, if you, me, I mean, go, you know—"

Something cold trickled over Marinette's hand. She watched in numb horror as a puddle of citrus smoothie spread out over her hand, the table...and her now ruined Subdigitals tickets.

Marinette slowly raised her eyes and turned her head, seeking the source of the liquid devastation.

"Ugh! Look what you made me do, Marinette!" Chloé Bourgeois spat, rolling her eyes derisively. "You made me spill my smoothie! Oh hello Adrien!" She batted her eyelashes coyly.

Adrien frowned at her, his eyes hard. " _NOT cool_ , Chloé." He looked back at Marinette and smiled halfheartedly. "Sure, I'd love to go to the concert if I can get past Nathalie and the Gorilla. Don't worry about the tickets, I can more than cover it. How about you, me, Nino, and Alya go as a group? It'll be fun!"

"Uhh...yeah. Fun." Marinette laughed shakily, her fingers curling around the soggy mess that had been her literal ticket to a date with Adrien.

Chloé snorted. "Wasting your time with those losers," she muttered under her breath before retreating to her seat—and flashing Marinette one last catty smirk.

Miss Bustier walked in, and Marinette trudged back to her own seat, shoulders slumped and head hung low. Alya gave her a sympathetic look and patted her hand gently.

* * *

The sun was setting over Paris, but the sun had set over Marinette's heart hours earlier. She sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, crying into her hands. Her mother hovered uncomfortably over her, trying to console her—as she had been for the past hour.

"You're still getting to go to the concert with Adrien," Sabine said in a soothing tone.

"With a group! As friends! Not as a—!" Marinette sniffled. "Besides, that...that's not the point. I worked so hard to buy those tickets, and...and..." She threw back her head and screamed. " _CHLOÉ!_ She doesn't care about anybody but herself! She has no respect for other people's feelings, their property, their _anything!_ And she always gets away with it!" She hiccuped, then wiped her face with the back of her hand. "It isn't right..."

"No," Sabine agreed softly. "It isn't." She glanced over at the hatch door set into the floor, which was raised slightly. Her gaze locked onto the only part of her husband's face she could see: his eyes.

He was _furious._

* * *

A dark place...

Shutters irised open, flooding the dark room with the fading last rays of the day. White butterflies swarmed around a masked figure standing in the light.

"The fury of a parent whose child has been hurt," Hawk Moth said, clenching a fist. "I know this pain. It is a pain unlike any other. A pain that can be twisted into something gloriously wicked."

A white butterfly landed in his gloved palm. He covered it with his other hand. Motes of darkness gathered, turning the butterfly a purple-splotched black.

"Fly away, my little Akuma, and darken his heart!" Hawk Moth watched the Akuma flutter through the central gap in the window's wrought iron floral motif.

* * *

Tom Dupain muttered furiously under his breath as he rolled the same piece of dough for the third time. The rolling pin cracked ominously in his enormous hands. "That self-centered little...doing this to _my_ little girl! I don't care if she's the Mayor's daughter, I want to wring her neck for making Marinette cry this way!"

Unnoticed, a black butterfly, brimming with evil energy, sank into his rolling pin. Tom stiffened as a voice entered his mind.

 _ **Papa Pain. I am Hawk Moth. Your desire to avenge your daughter's suffering is commendable. Go forth and destroy the hateful wretch that has wronged your little girl. And once you've given the girl her just desserts, bring me the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir!**_

Tom grinned savagely. "Chloé Bourgeois will learn just how hot the oven of a father's love burns...when I _bake her in it!_ "

Oily purple and black mist boiled from Tom's rolling pin, spreading across his body, transforming him...

* * *

When Marinette woke the following morning, she had a horrible headache and her eyes felt tight and puffy. She padded over to her vanity, looking blearily at herself in the mirror above her basin. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she had dark circles under them. "Gah," she muttered. "I look awful, I _feel_ awful..." Grabbing a washcloth, she wet it in the basin, then gently wiped her face before wringing it out and placing it over her eyes, holding it firmly in place for a few minutes.

The hatch door opened. "Marinette? Are you up?" Sabine called.

"Yes, Mama," Marinette said.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Sabine asked. In response, Marinette turned and let the washcloth fall from her eyes. Her mother winced as she took in her appearance. "That bad, huh?"

Marinette sighed. "I just have a really bad headache," she said. "And my eyes hurt from all that crying I did." She shook her head. "I can't believe I let Chloé get me so worked up. I've been able to brush her aside for months now, so how come—"

"Because what she did to you was unforgiveable," Sabine said firmly. She sighed. "Listen, I don't want to worry you when you're already upset and not feeling well, but..." She chewed on her lip. "I haven't seen your father all morning. He didn't come to bed last night either."

"Eh? Papa's missing?" Marinette suddenly felt alert and on edge.

Sabine's shoulders slumped. "He was—last night—he overheard what happened with Chloé yesterday, and he was absolutely furious. I've only ever seen Tom angry—truly angry—once or twice in the entire time we've been together." She shook her head. "Usually when he's that angry, he rolls dough until it's a complete mess, or goes for a long walk. I found some dough he'd been rolling, so...I guess he did that for a while, then went for a walk."

"But...all night?" Marinette asked.

"That's what bothers me," Sabine said. "This isn't like him. And he left his phone here." She shrugged, then sighed again. "Without Tom, I can't open the bakery. With you in the miserable shape you're in right now, I think you need to stay home from school today."

"N-no, Mama, I—"

"I insist," Sabine said firmly. "Now, come straight down for breakfast."

"Yes, Mama."

As soon as the hatch closed, Marinette put on some old, worn-out clothes suitable for lounging around the house in. While she was dressing, Tikki floated down from the loft. "Do you think your papa's alright?"

"I'm sure Papa's fine," Marinette said. "He's as big as a bear! There isn't anything in this city that could possibly hurt him."

"I'm more worried about what he might have done if he's really that angry," Tikki said.

Marinette paused in straightening her hair, frowning. "You think he'd really—" She shook her head. "No, Papa wouldn't do something crazy, no matter _how_ upset he is."

"Well it wouldn't be the first time he yelled at Mayor Bourgeois for something Chloé said to you."

Marinette frowned. "True." She sighed. "Well, we're bound to find out sooner or later. For now, all we can do is go down to breakfast."

Tikki slipped down the front of Marinette's shirt, and Marinette walked downstairs. She found her mother in the process of making omelettes, though at the moment her cooking lay forgotten as she stared at the television. Marinette turned to look, and gasped at the breaking news report. It depicted the hotel Mayor Bourgeois owned, which was cordoned off by a small army of police. Dozens of massive loaves of bread stuck out of the building at odd angles, having smashed through windows and walls alike.

 _"This just in! Le Grand Paris Hotel is being battered by big baguettes! Just moments ago, ballistic bread began battering the building—"_

Marinette stared at the TV. "What the heck?"

"It's another of those awful supervillain attacks," Sabine said. The smell of burning eggs drew her attention, and she gasped. "Ah! The omelette!"

"Take your time," Marinette said. "I actually, uh...really need to go to the bathroom first anyway." She hurried back upstairs.

"Hawk Moth must have baked up another Akuma!" Tikki said as soon as they were back in Marinette's room.

Marinette groaned. "It's too early in the morning for bread puns," she muttered, dragging her hands down her face. "Oh well, time to go bag this baguette bandit!"

Tikki giggled. "Now you're sounding like Chat Noir."

Marinette glared at her. "Just for that, I'm picking all the chocolate chips off your cookies for a week." She brushed her hair away from her Miraculous. _**"Tikki! Spots on!"**_

Tikki vanished into the Miraculous, which turned from black to a bright red with black spots. Marinette's clothes were replaced by the bright red, black-spotted, indestructible skintight Ladybug costume. As soon as her transformation finished, Ladybug leapt up onto the balcony, sprinted to the edge, jumped, and threw her yo-yo, swinging across Paris to the hotel where far too many of her battles ended up taking place.

Halfway there, a black shadow danced into view on Ladybug's right. She changed course to intercept, and soon found herself running alongside Chat Noir. "So, we've got a baguette bandit to bag," he said cheerfully.

Ladybug groaned. "Like I told my Kwami, it's _way_ too early in the morning for bread puns."

Chat Noir tilted his head. "You don't look so good, My Lady. Your eyes aren't as bright and sparkly as usual. You okay?"

"I had a rough night," Ladybug said. "Nothing you need to worry about. Let's just get this over with."

Chat Noir frowned. "Okay. Be careful." They soon drew within a block of the hotel, and they could smell the yeasty masses of bread. "Well, whoever our bad guy du jour is, they sure can bake."

"Yeah, but bread should never be used for evil," Ladybug said, her eyes hard. She propelled herself high into the air and launched her yo-yo at one of the giant baguettes.

"Hey, wait up!" Chat Noir dropped to ground level and sprinted the rest of the way, vaulting over police cars and officers as he approached the hotel. He skidded to a stop at the perimeter, eyes wide.

The lobby entrance to the hotel was blocked off by what at first glance appeared to be a large stone fence—but upon closer inspection, it was actually a hastily-erected stone oven. And the oven was lit. "Are you _kidding me?!_ " Chat Noir cried. "The freaking _building's on fire?!_ "

"Not on fire, exactly," Agent Roger said from his post at the cordon. "It's more like it's being, well... _baked_."

"Wonderful," Chat Noir said, facepalming. "Ladybug just went in there!"

"There's at least twenty people trapped inside," Roger said. "You two need to take care of this one _quickly_."

"On it!" Chat Noir said, snapping a salute. He detached his baton from his belt, then extended it to a vaulting pole. "Here's hoping I don't turn into a crispy kitty!" With that, he launched himself through a third-story window. Collapsing his baton, he activated its phone mode. "Ladybug! Where'd you fly off to?"

* * *

"The penthouse!" Ladybug replied. "And I could really use some help right about now!" She closed her yo-yo and backflipped away from several croissant shuriken which buried themselves halfway into the hallway floor outside the palatial suites inhabited by Mayor Bourgeois and his daughter. As she came to a stop, she readied her yo-yo and stared down her opponent. He stood almost eight feet tall; his massive girth blocked the hall. His skin had the color and consistency of dough. Much of his mass was squeezed into a dark blue bodysuit; he also wore enormous brown boots and a large black apron with broad pockets, from which various utensils protruded. A dark blue domino mask covered the top half of his face; much of the bottom half was taken up by a bushy golden-brown moustache shaped like a giant croissant. Atop his head, he wore a faluche as though it were a beret. An enormous wicker basket full of assorted breads and pastries hung from a bandolier at his left hip; in his right hand, he wielded a jet black rolling pin that was longer than Ladybug was tall.

The Akuma flung a boule at Ladybug; she began spinning her yo-yo, creating a shield. The boule exploded, spraying a mist of flour all over Ladybug and the surrounding hallway. She grimaced; the flour was making her already irritated eyes even worse. "Who are you and what do you want here?" she called through her shield.

The Akuma laughed heartily. "I am PAPA PAIN!" he boomed in a thunderous voice. "I'm baking a special bread called _revenge_ , and Chloé Bourgeois is the secret ingredient!"

Ladybug groaned, letting her yo-yo fall flaccid as she brought one hand to her face. "Why am I not surprised?" she muttered. "What'd she do _this_ time?"

"That does not concern you, Ladybug!" Papa Pain bellowed. "Now, get out of my way, or I'll roll you flat and make you into a special puff pastry!"

"Hey, I'd rather you not squish My Lady," Chat Noir's voice called from behind Papa Pain. Ladybug heard the solid _thwack!_ of Chat Noir's baton striking the back of Papa Pain's head; a moment later, Papa Pain turned laboriously around, and Chat Noir scrambled to Ladybug's side by clinging to the ceiling and scampering over Papa Pain's head.

"Good kitty," Ladybug said as Chat Noir landed in a crouch at her side.

"Just don't forget to give me a treat later," Chat Noir quipped. "So what burned his biscuits?"

"What do you _think?_ "

Papa Pain pulled a baguette from his basket and hurled it at them like a missile. They dived to the side; it tore up the carpet and embedded half its length into the floor underneath.

"Listen, we gotta put this belligerent baker down fast," Chat Noir said. "He's built some kind of crazy oven around the lobby and it's baking the whole building as we speak."

Ladybug's eyes widened. "You've gotta be kidding me!" She frowned thoughtfully. "So _that's_ why it's so hot in here..."

"HEY, WHAT'S ALL THE NOISE OUT THERE?!"

Ladybug smacked a hand to her face and slowly pulled it down. "Greeeeeat."

Chloé Bourgeois burst out of the door to her suite and into the hall. "I'm _TRYING_ to listen to XY in here—LADYBUG!" Chloé interposed herself between Papa Pain and the two superheroes. "What brings you here?"

"That," Chat Noir said, pointing behind Chloé.

Chloé turned around just in time for a croissant shuriken to almost take her face off, before Ladybug's yo-yo knocked it into the wall, where it shattered the glass covering a painting. Chloé shrieked and dived back behind Ladybug, clutching onto her shoulders and peering out from behind her head. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-what is THAT?" Chloé screamed.

"THERE you are!" Papa Pain boomed, smacking his rolling pin into the meaty palm of his free hand. "Come here, Chloé! I'm making a _special_ recipe with your name _all over it._ "

"Oh! Really? Well!" Chloé stepped out from behind Ladybug, tossing her hair and fanning herself. "That's—"

"He wants to _kill you_ , you idiot," Ladybug hissed, shoving Chloé back behind her. "RUN!"

"I'll get her out of here," Chat Noir said. While Ladybug deflected several more croissants, Chat Noir scooped Chloé up and ran off down the hall with her, kicking open a random door and tossing her through it.

"HEY! THIS IS THE _MAIDS' SUPPLY ROOM!_ " Chloé yelled.

"Then clean something!" Chat Noir called over his shoulder as he rushed back to Ladybug. Papa Pain was advancing down the hall, swinging his rolling pin like a massive club; each swing was smashing huge holes in the walls. Ladybug remained on the defensive, looking for an opening.

"It's too tight in here," Ladybug muttered. "We need to lure him somewhere more open!"

"I'm on it!" Chat Noir said, raising his right hand. _**"CATACLYSM!"**_ Motes of darkness gathered above his hand; he clenched it into a fist, then sprinted toward Papa Pain, his body low to the ground. Ducking under a punishing sweep of the rolling pin, he slammed his palm into the floor at Papa Pain's feet. A huge section of the hallway rapidly rotted away; with a tremendous creak and groan, the entire floor collapsed, and Papa Pain fell through. Chat Noir dropped through the opening; Ladybug followed behind him, landing in a broad semicircular atrium that fronted several executive conference rooms.

Using his baton, Chat Noir broke two doors off their hinges, then swung them at Papa Pain's ears, staggering him as he struggled to stand. "Keep him busy!" Chat Noir called to Ladybug, turning to run. "I'll recharge and come back as fast as I can!"

"Right! Hurry up!" Ladybug replied. She wrapped her yo-yo around one of the broken doors, then used it to smack Papa Pain over the head several times. With a furious bellow, Papa Pain swung his rolling pin at the door, smashing it into toothpicks. He hefted another baguette from his basket and hurled it sideways at Ladybug, its angle just high enough off the floor that she could neither duck under it nor jump over it. It caught her in the midsection and sent her flying. "Wagh!"

 _ **Now, Papa Pain! Get her Miraculous!**_

Ladybug pushed the deceptively heavy bread off her body and tried to stand up, but a boule that felt like a lead balloon landed on her stomach, pinning her to the ground. "I'll be taking your Miraculous," Papa Pain said. "Then I'll finish my new recipe of rage!"

 _"WHY ISN'T THIS STUPID ELEVATOR WORKING?!"_ Ladybug heard from down the hall. _"HELLO! SOMEBODY BETTER GET ME OUT OF HERE! MY DADDY'S THE MAYOR AND HE OWNS THIS HOTEL! HURRY UP, IT'S TOO HOT IN HERE!"_

Papa Pain's eyes narrowed. "On second thought, why wait?" he sneered. "It seems Chloé just trapped herself in the _perfect_ oven!" With a hearty laugh, he lumbered off toward the elevator, dragging his rolling pin along the floor.

Ladybug struggled to heft the heavy boule off her, watching helplessly. She grabbed her yo-yo and opened it, activating its smartphone mode. "Chat Noir!" she yelled. "Are you back in action?" When she received no answer, she continued straining against the weight pressing her down. "How...can _bread_...ngggh!...be this _heavy?!_ "

Down the hall, Papa Pain hammered his rolling pin against the elevator doors with a noise like a gong, making the entire hall vibrate. Chloé's shrieking joined the pounding sympathy, aggravating the headache Ladybug had never quite gotten over. The corners of her eyes began to sting. "Enough! Is! _**ENOUGH!**_ "

With a yell of frustration and rage, Ladybug heaved the boule off, rose into a crouch, and turned to face Papa Pain. "HERE, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR LOUSY BREAD BACK!" she yelled, before pushing off the floor with the full force of her leg muscles and hurling the boule at Papa Pain like a shotput. Caught off-guard, he took the hit directly to the face; it knocked him backwards, causing a tremendous, earth-shaking _thud_ when he hit the floor. Racing down the hall, Ladybug spun her yo-yo until it began to glow around the edges, then shielded her eyes as she cut into the elevator doors with it. Sparks flew as the metal melted; after a few seconds of cutting, the emergency releases kicked in and the doors slammed open. Ladybug stopped her yo-yo and slung it behind her back just as Chloé staggered out. Ladybug pointed down the hall. "Fire escape! Get to the roof! Go!"

Chloé put a hand on her hip and tossed her hair. "If I go _up_ , I'll be _trapped!_ "

"If you go _down_ , you'll be _baked alive!_ " Ladybug retorted. "He's turned the entire lobby into an oven!"

Chloé recoiled. "Seriously?"

Papa Pain groaned and started to stir.

"GET MOVING!" Ladybug yelled, pushing Chloé roughly down the hall. Chloé rubbed her arm, gave Ladybug a pouty glare, then ran off toward the fire escape.

A few seconds later, a random door burst open, and Chat Noir came flying out of it. "Sorry to keep you waiting, My Lady," he said cheerfully. "Hope you didn't have _too_ much fun without me."

"You know," Ladybug said in the tired, resigned voice of someone who has simply had enough and isn't willing to take any more, "I'm getting really sick of protecting Chloé from Akumatized people she's ticked off."

Chat Noir frowned. "Now that you mention it, she _does_ seem to bring out the worst in people. Literally."

"Well, I'm not saving her spoiled butt again!" Ladybug declared, stamping a foot.

"My Lady?"

"Why should I? She lives to make people miserable! She'll never change! Every single time this happens, she doesn't learn a thing! She just keeps being the same miserable, rotten, selfish little—"

"Calm down, Ladybug," Chat Noir said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's not like I don't understand where you're coming from, I do. Really, I do. But what you're talking about...it just isn't right, you know? It isn't the way."

Ladybug sighed, slumping forward. "You're right," she said. "I just...I just wish there was some way to get through to that tarted-up blond head of hers that she needs to stop being so, so...so _Chloé!_ "

Chat Noir stroked his chin. "Maybe after we're done here, we can meet up later, grab a cup of coffee, talk it over?"

Ladybug groaned and rolled her eyes. "Not in the mood right now, Chat Noir."

Chat Noir laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess not."

"Still, we _do_ need to figure something out. I mean, how many people can one stupid little rich girl make enemies of?"

"We _are_ talking about Chloé Bourgeois."

"And if you'd let me FINISH HER OFF, she'd never make anyone cry EVER AGAIN!" Papa Pain roared, lumbering to his feet and hefting his rolling pin. "That selfish, mean-spirited, spiteful girl has no place in this world!"

"Hey, I know Chloé's a pain in the tail, but don't you think you're overreacting?" Chat Noir said.

"ENOUGH TALKING!" Papa Pain roared, charging with his rolling pin held like a samurai sword. His speed caught them both by surprise, and they were sent flying like bowling pins. Ladybug skidded across the floor on her butt; Chat Noir slid on his hands and feet. He readied his baton and extended it, spinning it in front of him as he stared down Papa Pain.

"You okay, Ladybug?"

Ladybug stood up, wincing and rubbing her butt. "He hits like a _truck_ ," she complained.

 _ **Hurry up and take their Miraculous!**_

"With pleasure, Hawk Moth! You'll have their Miraculous, and I'll have my _pain de Bourgeois_!" Papa Pain bore down on them, a triumphant sneer on his face.

"Uhh, Ladybug? Now would be a good time to figure out how to put a stop to this guy," Chat Noir said.

Ladybug gulped. "You're probably right." She slung her yo-yo skyward. _**"LUCKY CHARM!"**_

In a spray of hearts and light, a heavy object appeared, falling into Ladybug's waiting arms. She staggered under its weight, then inspected it: it was a large electric winch, patterned red with black spots. She tilted her head. "Okay, seriously? An electric winch? What the—"

She yelped and dropped the winch as Papa Pain swung his rolling pin at her torso, nearly splattering her across the hall. "Wah!" The winch landed upright. Recovering, Ladybug looked from the winch, to Chat Noir, to Papa Pain's rolling pin, to her own yo-yo...and understood. "Okay! This one's actually pretty simple after all! Chat Noir, can you take that and run past Papa Pain with it?"

"You got it!" Chat Noir grabbed the winch and took off running, sliding underneath Papa Pain's rolling pin. As he raised it to swing, Ladybug threw her yo-yo past Papa Pain, then ran after it. "Grab the other end!" she called to Chat Noir. "Wrap it around the winch!"

Chat Noir grinned slyly. "Oh, I think I get it!" He seized Ladybug's yo-yo out of the air and wedged it into the winch mechanism, wrapping it twice and tugging on it. Meanwhile, Ladybug jumped over Papa Pain's rolling pin, touched down, then tumbled backwards, headed back the way she came. The wire of her yo-yo wound around the pin. Ladybug crouched low and pulled tight. "NOW!"

With a jaunty salute, Chat Noir turned on the winch. It roared to life; the cable began spooling around the winch, growing longer and longer as Ladybug braced herself against the pull. Sparks flew from the rolling pin as the wire cut into it; after several seconds, during which Papa Pain struggled valiantly to pull it free, the rolling pin was finally sheared clean in half. As the severed end fell to the ground, the Akuma flew out, headed for the window.

Yanking her yo-yo free of the winch with a sharp tug, Ladybug opened it; the wings retracted, revealing a glowing disc of white light within. "No more evildoing for you, little Akuma!" Letting it drop to the ground, she swung it back and forth to gain momentum, then spun it in a wide arc, swinging it out. "I'm freeing you from evil!" The yo-yo scooped the Akuma out of the air, trapping it.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug reeled it back in, then opened the yo-yo again. A tiny snow-white buttefly flew out, fluttering toward the open window at the end of the hall. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!"

With a grunt of effort, Ladybug hefted the winch off the ground and hurled it toward the ceiling; it passed straight through and rose into the sky over Paris.

 _ **"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"**_

A swarm of glowing ladybugs swept over the hotel like a cyclone, repairing all the damage caused by the fight with Papa Pain and erasing every last piece of evil bread, as well as the hot stone oven around the lobby.

A wash of purple and black light swept over Papa Pain, transforming him back into...

Ladybug pressed her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide and trembling. "Papa," she whispered to herself.

Tom Dupain lay face-down and unconscious at the end of the hall.

Chat Noir, having fortunately not heard Ladybug's whisper, frowned at the baker, then glanced at his own Miraculous. "Listen, much as I'd love to stay and find out what caused all this, this cat's got places to be. Catch me up later?"

"Yeah, yeah, go," Ladybug said numbly, staring at her father. Just as Chat Noir was about to leave, she called out, "Wait!"

Chat Noir stopped, turning. "Yes, My Lady?"

Ladybug narrowed her eyes. "Meet me at City Hall at around three-thirty," she said. "We need to have a talk with Mayor Bourgeois."

Chat Noir frowned, but nodded. "Alright. It's a date." With that, he got into the elevator, which dinged cheerfully as the doors closed.

Ladybug sighed and, looking around to make sure the coast was clear, whispered, "Tikki, spots off." As Ladybug was replaced by Marinette, she squatted down next to her father, gently caressing his face as tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

* * *

Hawk Moth trembled in rage. "Enjoy the sweet taste of victory while you can, because next time, I'll be feasting on _pain de Ladybug_!"

The window irised shut, leaving him in darkness.

* * *

"I still have no idea how I wound up at Le Grand Paris," Tom said as he sipped a cup of strong coffee. He, Sabine, and Marinette sat together at home, recovering from the ordeal.

"You were Akumatized, Papa," Marinette said. "Like all those people on the news. Ladybug and Chat Noir saved you."

Tom shuddered. "This city certain is more dangerous than it used to be." He shook his head. "The last thing I remember, I was rolling dough."

"You were so angry over what that hateful girl did to Marinette, I wasn't sure _what_ you might do," Sabine said.

Tom frowned. "Yes, we _do_ still need to do something about that."

"It's okay, Papa," Marinette said, laying a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Let me deal with Chloé. I appreciate that you always want to protect me and look out for me, but sometimes I have to fight my own battles." She smiled.

Tom laid his hand on Marinette's and smiled warmly at her. "You're growing into a strong young woman, just like your mother," he said. Sabine laid her hand on top of his. "But you'll always be our little girl."

Marinette joined her parents in a hug.

As they sat back, Sabine arched an eyebrow at Marinette. "That still doesn't explain how _you_ managed to get to that hotel," she said.

Marinette looked back and forth between her parents, then rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously...

* * *

Ladybug tapped her foot impatiently, checking the time on her yo-yo's smartphone.

"Sorry I'm late," a voice said from behind her. She turned to see Chat Noir walking calmly toward her along the roof of City Hall. "Had someone on my tail." He tilted his head. "So, this is an odd place for a date."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "We're not here for a date," she said. "We're here to do something we should've done a long time ago."

Chat Noir grimaced. "I get where you're going with this, but do you really think this is a good idea? I mean, I've seen the way this guy blows up when somebody insults his little girl. It isn't pretty."

"I don't care," Ladybug said. "This _has_ to stop. Chloé can't keep doing whatever she wants and getting away with it if it means other people have to suffer."

Chat Noir sighed. "Can't argue with that. Okay, let's go."

The presence of two superheroes calmly walking through City Hall caused a mild stir. Even being the saviors of the city, they still had to talk their way past four different people before they were ushered into the Mayor's office. Mayor Bourgeois turned his desk chair around to face them and smiled broadly, speading his arms in welcome. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! What an unexpected pleasure!" The corners of his mouth dropped. "My city isn't in danger again already, is it?"

"Not as such, Monsieur Mayor," Ladybug said. "If it was, we wouldn't be here, we'd be out there. Actually, there's something very important we need to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Mayor Bourgeois leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "Very well. I always have time for the selfless heroes who have saved Paris time and again."

"It's about Chloé," Ladybug said.

"My daughter?" The mayor's face paled. "Has something happened to her?"

"No, she's...no," Ladybug said. "But there _is_ a problem with your daughter, sir." She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Monsieur Mayor, Chloé is a selfish, self-centered bully who treats everybody around her like garbage, and she always gets away with it because she's _your_ daughter."

Mayor Bourgeois blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's true sir," Chat Noir said. "Chloé is a rotten excuse for a human being, _and_ she's making _our_ job a **lot** tougher than it needs to be."

"You see, Mayor Bourgeois, Chloé, well..." Ladybug spread her hands wide. "Her selfish attitude and her bullying of others tends to _cause_ a lot of the Akumas we've been fighting."

"Yeah, Hawk Moth seems to _love_ going after Chloé's victims," Chat Noir said.

"Or people related to them," Ladybug added.

Mayor Bourgeois frowned, his eyes tightening. "Now, see here!" he blustered. "I'll not sit idly by and listen to such accusations! Why, I'll have you know—"

Ladybug began ticking off points on her fingers. "Lady Wifi? Chloé's fault. She demanded Principal Damocles suspend Alya for taking pictures of the inside of her locker. Chronogirl? At least _partially_ Chloé's fault, though I understand a bunch of different kids were to blame for that one. Rogercop? Chloé's fault. She lost her bracelet, started accusing people of stealing it, then threw such a huge fit that you ended up firing Agent Roger."

"Actually, that one's more on Monsieur Mayor here than Chloé," Chat Noir put in.

"Still wouldn't have happened if not for Chloé," Ladybug interrupted. After a moment, she added, "At least, that's what I heard from Alya. You know, the girl who runs Ladyblog? She's in the same class." She shook her head. "Dark Cupid? Chloé's fault. The boy who turned into Dark Cupid tried to give her a present and confess his love to her, and she laughed in his face and posted a humiliating picture of him on the Internet."

"Ouch," Chat Noir put in.

"Horrificator? Chloé bullying a girl who got stage fright while trying to make a student film. Kung Food? Chloé again. She sabotaged Cheng-Sifu's famous soup to make him look like a fool."

Mayor Bourgeois frowned. "I _do_ remember _that_ being Chloé's fault," he said thoughtfully. "I had stern words with her about her behavior."

"Not stern enough," Chat Noir said.

"The Invisible One? Chloé's best friend Sabrina, Akumatized by Hawk Moth after Chloé went off on her for no reason. Evillustrator? Some poor kid Chloé teased for drawing comics in class." Ladybug's voice was rising in pitch and volume as she continued. "Reflekta? A girl who just wanted to be in one measly little school picture because for some reason she's always had bad luck on picture day, and Chloé was so desperate to stand next to the boy the photographer put Juleka next to that she had Sabrina _lock the poor girl in the bathroom_. And that's not even getting into all the times Chloé's self-centered _shrieking_ has gotten in the way of us trying to do our job!" Ladybug yelled, her cheeks red and puffy.

Mayor Bourgeois blinked slowly at Ladybug. "You know, Ladybug," he said calmly, "I'm beginning to get the distinct impression that you hate my daughter."

"Have you MET your daughter?" Chat Noir asked.

Mayor Bourgeois cast his eyes toward Chat Noir. "She _is_ **my** daughter."

"And this latest Akuma, Papa Pain? _Also_ Chloé's fault!" Ladybug finished, waving her arms frantically.

"Hey yeah, what _was_ his deal?" Chat Noir asked. "I had to scat before he came around. I think I recognized him, though, doesn't he run a bakery or something?"

"His name is Tom Dupain," Ladybug said.

Mayor Bourgeois' eyes widened in recognition at the name. "As in Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

Ladybug's eyes narrowed. "That name sure came to mind quickly," she said in a dangerous tone.

Mayor Bourgeois averted his gaze. "It's, well...she's a girl at Chloé's school. Chloé...hates her. I'm not sure why. She complains about her all the time and, well..." He swallowed. "It was Chloé accusing that girl of stealing her bracelet that started the whole Rogercop fiasco."

Ladybug folded her arms. "Well, the whole _Papa Pain_ fiasco was apparently started by Chloé deliberately spilling a drink on some concert tickets Marinette had been saving up for."

Mayor Bourgeois frowned. "I'm sure it was an accident—"

"And that right there is the problem!" Ladybug ranted. "You're _not doing your job_ as a father! You're coddling her and enabling her! When was the last time you actually punished her for being a spoiled, selfish brat? When was the last time you put your foot down and told her the way she acts is completely unacceptable!"

Mayor Bourgeois went red in the face. "Now _look here_ , young lady! I own a successful hotel that caters to the elite of Paris and the world! I run the most fabulous city the world has ever seen! I am wealthy, connected, and powerful, and I—"

"Kinda just demonstrated where Chloé gets her attitude from," Chat Noir interrupted in a calm, flat tone, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Mayor Bourgeois stopped stock-still, eyes wide. He turned slowly to stare at Chat Noir. " _What_ did you just say?" he asked coldly.

"Monsieur Mayor," Ladybug said calmly, leaning forward, "when you get angry and flustered like you are right now, you start throwing your weight around. You start reminding people how rich and powerful you are. That's _exactly_ how we've seen Chloé behave. Children learn by following their parents' example. I should know." She laughed lightly. "I have kind, gentle, loving, but firm parents who give me lots of love and attention, but don't hesitate to do what they have to when I screw up and need to be punished. I'm lucky, I guess. But Chloé...her role model, her template, is _you_. And frankly, what you're teaching her is that it's okay to scream at people and abuse your money and power so that you always get your way."

"You've created a monster," Chat Noir added, putting his hands behind his head. "And that's _not_ the kind of monster Ladybug and I are here to protect Paris from."

"The only one who can protect Paris from the horrible, selfish bully your daughter's become is _you_ , Mayor Bourgeois," Ladybug said. Her Miraculous began to beep, and she grimaced. "Well, I've said everything I needed to say, and I need to get going. Please, think about what we've said, alright?" With that, she stood up, walked around the desk, threw open the office window, and swung out into the city.

Chat Noir stood up lazily, patting the Mayor on the shoulder as he passed. "We're just looking out for what's right for _everyone_ ," he said. "Chloé needs a wake-up call. You're the only one who can give it to her."

Once Mayor Bourgeois was alone in his office again, he sat contemplatively at his desk for a long time, eyes clouded with worry, self-reflection, and regret.

* * *

"Hey Ladybug, wait up!"

Ladybug reeled in her yo-yo and landed on a roof, tapping a foot as Chat Noir landed three feet in front of her. "Make it quick," she said. "I'm down to two spots."

"I was just wondering," Chat Noir began. "I mean, I covered for you back there, but..." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You seem to know an _awful_ lot about what happened to all the Akumatized people that made them targets for Hawk Moth." He tilted his head. "I mean, more than you probably _should_. What's up with that?"

Ladybug stiffened, blinking. "Oh. Well." She coughed. "I always, you know...follow up on these things! I mean, I can't really call it mission complete until I have all the facts straight, you know?" Another spot disappeared from her Miraculous. She edged away nervously, her eyes darting around.

Chat Noir pondered that, rubbing his chin. "Well...I _guess_ that makes sense," he said. "It's just...the way you got so fired up about it back there, it's almost like...you know all these people. Like, _really_ well."

Ladybug laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah, well...I get emotional about these things. I'm a girl, it's...what we do!" She threw her yo-yo at the nearest decent anchor, then swung away, waving.

Chat Noir watched her swing away through the streets, a contemplative frown on his face. After a minute, he shook his head. "Nah, I'm reading too much into it." He bounded off in a different direction than the one Ladybug had gone, headed for a safe place close to home to change back. "Still, if I didn't know better, I'd _swear_ Ladybug goes to my school...

"It's the only way she could know all that..."

* * *

"Papa!" Chloé said as Mayor Bourgeois walked into her suite. She gave him a warm, affectionate smile, then went back to painting her nails. "You wouldn't _believe_ the day I've had..."

Mayor Bourgeois stood directly in front of Chloé, his face stern and impassive. "Chloé, we need to talk. There are going to be some changes around here..."

 _ **À SUIVRE...**_

* * *

 _Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, and Thomas ASTRUC. This intellectual property is used without permission with no intent to profit from said use. The unique content contained within this story is the property of Mythril Moth, and redistribution of this content without express permission is strongly discouraged._


	2. Part 2: Overshadow

**Author's Notes:** This is the second installment of my Ladybug trilogy. For the sake of convenience, I'm posting the entire trilogy as a single story on this website. Elsewhere, it will be posted as three stories.

I began writing this installment before "Jackady" aired. "Jackady" caused significant changes to how this installment ended, and provided the setup for the third and final installment, "Heartless", which is presently in production.

Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, and followed "Papa Pain"! I hope you continue to enjoy this little saga.

* * *

 **MIRACULOUS LADYBUG: "OVERSHADOW"**

 _by Mythril Moth_

It was Friday morning, and the sun had not yet risen in Paris. In the Agreste mansion, one restless teenager paced his bedroom. Adrien absently twirled his pencil between his fingers as he studied the plethora of news clippings, printouts, and photos related to Ladybug laid out before him.

"You're _still_ on this?" Plagg asked, cracking one eye open and yawning. "People usually _sleep_ at night, you know."

Adrien frowned. "I couldn't sleep," he said. "I kept thinking about yesterday. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that Ladybug is somebody at school. Probably even in my class."

"Well that's a pretty small list," Plagg said. "Especially considering the only two girls in your class who haven't been Akumatized by now are Marinette and Rose."

Adrien's brow furrowed. "Marinette," he repeated. "You know...it wasn't until Marinette's dad was Akumatized that Ladybug snapped and decided to have our little chat with the mayor." He tilted his head. "She was actually taking that one pretty personally, if I know My Lady."

"But you _don't_ know Ladybug," Plagg pointed out. "That's the whole reason for this big crazy all-night thinking thing you're doing."

"I _want_ to know Ladybug, Plagg. I want to..." Adrien bowed his head, clutching his pencil tightly. "I want her to know how I really feel. And that she can always trust me."

Plagg studied Adrien thoughtfully. "Hmm," he said. "So. Marinette, prime candidate for being Ladybug?"

"Maybe..."

* * *

Nathalie had taken note of Adrien's zombie-like appearance and insisted he stay home from school. He had insisted just as firmly that he was fine to attend classes as long as he had some strong coffee with breakfast.

"Your father would not approve of you leaving the house in such a state," Nathalie said coolly. "What on Earth were you doing, staying up all night and throwing off your schedule?"

"Thinking about a girl," Adrien said as he wolfed down his breakfast.

Nathalie blinked. Her face softened almost imperceptibly. "Well," she said after a moment, "try not to lose sleep over it again."

Later, as Adrien left for school, Nathalie stopped him for a brief second to whisper, "Good luck."

When Adrien arrived at school, he immediately looked at Marinette. She was talking to Alya, who seemed upset—no doubt the topic of conversation was Tom Dupain's Akumatization the day before. He stopped just inside the door, leaning against the frame and studying Marinette.

 _*She has the same eyes. How did I never notice that? The same hair, too. Well, Ladybug's hair is shinier and a little different color, but then—heh—my eyes are a whole lot greener when I'm Chat Noir. Hmm...now that I really look at her, her body's about the same, too...*_

"See something you like?" a teasing voice from his left broke him out of his reverie. He jolted and glanced over to see his best friend Nino standing next to him, smirking.

"Huh? Uh—umm...I was just thinking," Adrien said. "Marinette's dad got Akumatized. I was just...worried."

"Uh-huh." Nino shrugged. "If you say so." He headed for his seat; Adrien followed and sat down. He turned his seat around to face Marinette and Alya.

"Hey, Marinette," he said roughly.

Marinette looked up and blinked. "Oh. Um. A-Adrien. Morn gooding. I mean, moon gording. Ah! I mean—"

"I heard about your dad. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Ladybug and Chat Noir saved him. You know, like they do."

"That's good," Adrien said. "And you? Are you okay?"

Marinette blushed slightly. "W-well...I'm not _not_ okay," she said.

"Do you think you'll still be up for that concert tomorrow night?"

"Absolutely!" Marinette declared fiercely, leaning forward.

Adrien smiled. "Good. I can't wait. It's gonna be fun!"

As the last stragglers filed in, Mademoiselle Bustier walked into the room. She had a confused, uncertain look on her face. "Ahem. Good morning, class. Before we begin, umm...apparently there's some business we need to take care of." She looked to the door and nodded.

Chloé walked in...as did her father. He had a look of terrible forbidding on his face. For her part, Chloé looked more meek and trite than she ever had in her life. She stood in front of the class, her hands folded in front of her.

"So, umm...good morning, everyone," Chloé said. "I..." She looked to her father, who stared impassively at her. She swallowed. "I owe every single person in this room an apology for one thing or another," Chloé began. "Especially—" She grimaced. "Especially Marinette. For the concert tickets, for trying to steal your diary, for what I did to your uncle, and for a whole lot of other things I can't even remember right now." She looked around the room and swallowed. "And everyone here who got turned evil by Hawk Moth because of something mean or hurtful I did or said...I'm sorry." She looked at Sabrina. "And...I have to apologize to Sabrina too, for having her do all my homework and play all my mean tricks on people for so long."

Mayor Bourgeois stepped forward. "I'm going to be organizing a special event for every member of this class in the near future," he said. "At my hotel, as my way of trying to make amends for not noticing how out of control my daughter is. I would very much appreciate it if Marinette Dupain-Cheng and one other volunteer help plan the event. Anything you kids want to do, it's your choice. It can be a movie premiere or a private concert or just a party." He straightened his sash. "As for Chloé...you won't be seeing her for a few weeks. We've been in a meeting with Principal Damocles this morning, and Chloé is suspended from school until she completes every assignment she's made her friend do for her, under the direction of a private tutor."

Chloé hung her head.

"Now, I have business to attend to and my daughter has a lot of homework to make up, so we'll be leaving. Miss Dupain, my secretary will be in touch." He turned and marched stiffly from the room, Chloé following behind him like a prisoner headed for the gallows.

The entire class watched them, mouths hanging open in shock and confusion.

Mademoiselle Bustier coughed. "Well," she said. "That was...unexpected. Sabrina, I'll want to have a word with you before you leave school today. Alright, class—"

"Wow," Alya stage-whispered to Marinette, Adrien, and Nino. "Never thought I'd see Chloé apologize for _anything!_ "

"I never thought I'd see Mayor Bourgeois do some actual _parenting_ ," Adrien said in an impressed tone. "Looks like he finally stepped up."

"And the best part? No Chloé for a while!" Nino exclaimed.

"Alright, kids, settle down," Mademoiselle Bustier said loudly, slapping a rolled-up paper sharply against her desk. "Save it for after class, please."

* * *

Before lunch, Alya took advantage of a break between classes to pull Adrien aside near his locker. "Listen, Adrien," she said quietly, "this is probably the _last_ thing I should be doing, but now that Marinette's getting back in good spirits, well..." She pushed her glasses up. "Even though Chloé's _finally_ getting what she deserves, the damage is still done, and it isn't fair that Marinette's big chance got totally blown by that stupid little trollop, so..." She glanced around nervously. "It's a little too late for me and Nino to back out of this going-as-a-group thing, and there's no way in heck I'm missing out on this concert, but just FYI? Marinette was trying to ask you out on a date. You know that, right?"

Adrien blinked. "Wait, she _what?_ "

Alya smirked at him. "You didn't think it was weird that she had _two_ tickets and asked _you?_ "

Adrien groaned and smacked his forehead. "Ugh! I got so distracted by Chloé being Chloé, I didn't think—" He sighed. "Wow. Now I feel like an idiot."

"It's okay though, because we can _totally_ salvage this situation," Alya said. "It's simple, really. Instead of 'as a group of friends', let's call this what it really is. A double date."

Adrien's brow furrowed. "Yeah, that makes sense," he said. "But how do we—I mean, how do we even officially make it a double date at this point?"

"Simple. We talk to Marinette and Nino and get them to agree that it's a double date." Alya shrugged. "It doesn't need to be as complicated as Marinette and Nino like to make this stuff."

"Oh, yeah, that whole... _thing_ ," Adrien said, laughing. "But won't Marinette get upset with you? I mean, she'll have to know you—"

Alya shrugged. "She'll get over it. I don't mind throwing myself under the bus for a good cause." She poked Adrien in the forehead. "Well, we'd better get a move on." She turned to head off to class; Adrien closed his locker and followed, his mind whirling.

 _*So Marinette...likes me? And Marinette might be Ladybug...*_

* * *

At the end of the day, students were in a hurry to either go home or head to afterschool programs, but Alya and Adrien held Marinette and Nino back in the school foyer. "We need to talk about tomorrow night," Alya said.

Nino blinked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's _wrong_ exactly," Alya said. "It's just that we need to clarify something." She looked at Adrien, who coughed once, then looked at Marinette.

"Yeah, so...I kinda needed a slap upside the head over the whole 'let's go as a group of friends' thing," he said. "I didn't..." He shook his head. "I kinda missed something really obvious the other day, and, well—"

"No, it's—" Marinette began. Alya silenced her with a sharp thump to the shoulder.

"So here's the thing," Adrien said. "We're all still going to the concert together, but instead of going as a group of friends, we're going on a double date. Nino and Alya...you and me." He looked Marinette right in the eyes. "Is that okay with you?"

Marinette's face turned red. "I, umm...I...I..."

"Hey," Adrien said softly, taking her hand in his. "Don't bug out on me. We'll go, we'll have a good time, we'll...y'know...have a date. Like you wanted in the first place. And Alya and Nino will be there to kick us both in the butt if things get awkward." He laughed. "I mean, I'll probably need one, I know that for a fact."

"Count on it," Nino said with a grin.

"So, we're settled then?" Adrien asked. "It's officially a double date?"

Marinette's mouth moved like a gasping fish for a second. Alya thumped her again. "Um—ah—yes! Absolutely!" Her eyes were wide, bright, and slightly manic. "I mean, yes, that's...yes."

Adrien grinned. "Great!" He kissed the back of Marinette's hand gently. "Looking forward to it, my lady." He adjusted his bag. "Well, I've got a photo shoot to get to. Later!"

As Adrien left, Nino not far behind, Marinette's eyes followed him, her mouth open in a small, round 'o'. Alya beamed and slapped her gently on the shoulder. "You _go_ girl!" she said. "You got your date with Adrien after all, and I'll be there to make sure you don't totally space!"

"Y-yeah," Marinette said distractedly. "Date with Adrien. Can't wait."

"Uh-oh. I think we broke you," Alya teased. "Well, I've gotta get home, I'm supposed to be herding my sisters today. Call you later!"

Marinette didn't move.

Tikki peeked out of Marinette's bag. "Marinette? Earth to Marinette!"

"Tikki? Have you ever felt like something _really weird_ and really important just happened, but your mind can't quite process it?"

Tikki tilted her head. "Hmm...I guess? I mean, I've been around a long time. Why?"

Marinette shook her head. "I just...I got the _strangest feeling_ just now..."

* * *

For the rest of the day, Marinette rode on a wave of pure bliss. Chloé had FINALLY been punished for her behavior, she had the Subdigitals concert to look forward to— _and_ she was getting her actual _date_ with Adrien after all! The noticable upswing in her mood was not lost on her parents, who greeted her warmly when she returned home.

Marinette spent most of her time until bed working on various projects and picking out her outfit for the concert, whistling cheerfully as she worked. And yet, there was still a tickling feeling in the back of her mind that something had happened she really should be concerned about.

Saturday morning, Marinette had some errands to run for her parents. While she was out and about, the only thing that could possibly dampen her spirits happened: an Akuma attack. As she chased the newest supervillain—a cabbage-headed Akuma who was throwing exploding cabbages everywhere—through the streets, she realized even Hawk Moth's latest attempt to steal her Miraculous couldn't bring her down.

"You're in a good mood today, My Lady," Chat Noir said as he joined the chase. "Hot date tonight?"

Ladybug smirked as she deflected a cabbage bomb with her yo-yo. "As a matter of fact, yes!"

"Oh-ho!" Chat Noir grinned. "Anybody I know?"

"Well, I can tell you one thing: He's not some mangy alley cat."

"I see," Chat Noir said. "Well, he must be a real model of masculinity if he's caught My Lady's pretty eyes."

"Try not to get too jealous, Catsanova."

Chat Noir blinked. "A cat pun? You _are_ in a good mood!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Let's finish off this cabbage clown quickly. I've got a lot to do today."

* * *

René Renoir stood before a temporary podium, adjusting the _fleur de lis_ pin on the lapel of his suit jacket as his thin, sharp grey eyes studied the small group of reporters that awaited the start of his press conference.

The aging actor had wanted to announce his return to film in a grand, impressive area—at the Eiffel Tower, at the Louvre, _anywhere_ that evoked the rich history and culture of Paris, that spoke to his status as a beloved French icon of stage and cinema.

Instead, he was sharing street space with itinerate mimes, attended by what looked to be the most bored, least motivated reporters in all of Paris, all of whom seemed as though they'd rather be anywhere else on a bright, warm Saturday morning.

Thirty years ago, he had been one of the greatest actors in Europe. He had performed in over seventy films, two hundred stage plays, and had even made no fewer than seventeen guest appearances on television—a medium he personally loathed. He had enjoyed a life of distinction, comfort, and leisure, with the elite of the French cinema at his beck and call, every producer and director in the nation clamoring for his attention.

Or so he believed. In reality, he had always been a forgettable character actor, and the one film he had ever been given a lead role in flopped so badly it killed his career _and_ the director's.

Now, however, he had been given a chance to resurrect his career, in a new lead role in a new production by the most talented young director in Paris. He had immediately called a press conference to announce his triumphant return.

The underwhelming reaction to his announcement was a disappointment, but he would not be daunted. Today was his day to shine, and shine he would.

He checked his watch. It was time to start. Clearing his throat and straightening his tie, he tapped the centermost microphone in front of him. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press," he said. "I am delighted beyond measure to announce to you and the good people of Paris that I, René Renoir—"

Something struck him in the back of the head. He pitched forward into the podium. Rubbing his head, he looked down at his feet.

A head of cabbage bounced once on the ground, a lit fuse sticking out of it.

"LOOK OUT!" a young girl's voice cried. A spotted red yo-yo sailed out of nowhere, snagging the cabbage and flinging it into the air. It exploded violently, raining burnt vegetation all over the plaza.

"What in blazes—?" René spun around to see a masked man wearing a dark green tunic and loose yellow-green pants dash past. He wore a giant cabbage upon his head like a turban, and cackled madly as he threw cabbage bombs into the group of reporters, who screamed and scattered.

Two children in ridiculous costumes dropped down from above, using a baton and a yo-yo to send the exploding cabbages flying in every direction. One was a blonde boy in skintight black leather, wearing cat ears and a ridiculous tail. The other was a black-haired girl in an inappropriately tight red body stocking covered in black spots. She jumped up on top of the podium, crouching in front of him, and detached a black-spotted red megaphone from her hip. "Pardon me, Monsieur," she said. "I need to use your microphones for a second. You might want to cover your ears." With that, she pressed the megaphone against one of the microphones and let loose a horrifying squeal of feedback.

The man with the cabbage turban screamed in pain and sank to his knees. The boy grabbed the turban off his head and smashed it on the ground. A black butterfly with purple splotches on its wings flew out of the smashed vegetable hat.

The girl unzipped the top of her yo-yo; the halves separated like insect wings, revealing a glowing disc of white light within. "No more evildoing for you, little Akuma!" Letting the yo-yo drop to the ground, she swung it back and forth to gain momentum, then spun it in a wide arc, swinging it out. "I'm freeing you from evil!" The yo-yo scooped the black butterfly out of the air, trapping it.

"Gotcha!" The girl reeled the yo-yo back in, then opened it again. A tiny snow-white butterfly flew out, fluttering toward the open window at the end of the hall. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!" With that, she threw the megaphone high into the sky with a shout of:

 _ **"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"**_

It exploded into a swarm of glowing ladybugs, which spread out over the city; the cowering man in green changed into an ordinary greengrocer in a white apron.

The girl popped a pair of earplugs—that had the same ridiculous ladybug motif—out of her ears; the boy in black did the same. They shared a fist-bump.

The reporters regrouped like a flock of pigeons, surrounding the two children and peppering them with questions. After a few minutes, the two children sprinted off, and the reporters cleared out, leaving the area conspicuously vacant.

René stood behind the podium, staring in abject dismay at the ludicrous scene. What meager press he had managed to gather had fled without even hearing his grand announcement. "Those children...they stole my spotlight..."

* * *

A dark place...

Shutters irised open, flooding the dark room with bright sunlight. White butterflies swarmed around a masked figure standing in the light.

"Ah, the wounded pride of a man whose greatness is overshadowed by others," Hawk Moth said with a smug smirk. "To reach out for that one chance to relive your glory years, only to find no one in the world cares."

A white butterfly landed in his gloved palm. He covered it with his other hand. Motes of darkness gathered, turning the butterfly a purple-splotched black.

"Fly away, my little Akuma, and darken his heart!" Hawk Moth watched the Akuma flutter through the central gap in the window's wrought iron floral motif.

* * *

René Renoir sat on a bench, face buried in his hands, a tired old man too despondent to even care that a pigeon was defecating on his shoe.

A black butterfly sank into the _fleur de lis_ pin on his lapel. He seized up as a voice entered his mind.

 _ **Overshadow. I am Hawk Moth. Allow me the honor of being the director of your greatest performance. The role of a lifetime! Destroy Ladybug and Chat Noir. BRING ME THEIR MIRACULOUS!**_

René gave a dark, grim smile. "Show me to wardrobe, Monsieur Hawk Moth."

Purple and black mist boiled up from his pigeon-smeared shoes, spreading across his body like oil and transforming him...

* * *

While the Cabbateur's rampage had interrupted Marinette's errands and made her slightly late returning home, she still had more than enough time to take a nice long bath, do some last-minute body maintenance, and get in some girl talk with Alya before it was time for her date. Earlier in the day, she'd gotten a text from Adrien that he'd made dinner reservations for the four of them; the restaurant wasn't terribly fancy, but it was certainly more upscale than most teens' first-date venue, so Marinette had swiftly replaced her entire outfit for the evening to account for the change in plans.

Marinette walked downstairs and gave her parents a twirl. "Well, how do I look?" She wore a short pink skirt which swished about her thighs over black tights, mid-calf white suede boots with low heels, a black top with three wide pink horizontal bands across the bust and four narrow pink horizontal stripes across the stomach, and a light pearl pink jacket. A small black purse hung at her hip, and she'd restyled her hair into a single, chic plait.

Sabine clasped her hands together. "You look _wonderful_ , dear!"

Tom's eyes shone with pride. "My little girl is so beautiful and so grown-up," he sniffled.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Papa," she said with mock exasperation.

"Are you sure you want to wear those earrings, though?" Sabine asked. "I mean, you wear them every day. This is a special occasion, wouldn't you rather wear something a little fancier? I've got the perfect pair in my jewelry box."

Marinette shook her head and waved a hand. "No thanks. These are kind of my lucky charm."

"Well, if you're sure," Sabine said. "It's not as if this boy's going to be looking at your _ears_ anyway."

Tom grunted and gave Sabine a look, then gave the same look to Marinette. Sabine rolled her eyes and slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Oh, stop," she laughed. "I just meant he'll be lost in her eyes."

Marinette groaned. "Okay, I'm out of here before you two find a way to embarrass me in front of Adrien again." No sooner had she said that than a limousine pulled up in front of the bakery. She quickly kissed her parents goodbye, then hurried out the door.

Adrien got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Marinette. He wore a loose, long-sleeved black silk shirt, black leather pants, and shiny black leather shoes, as well as a pair of expensive designer sunglasses. He smiled at her. "You look really pretty today, Marinette," he said.

Marinette blushed. "Oh, um, thank you," she said. "So do you. Handsome, I mean. Well, and pretty. Pretty handsome?"

Adrien chuckled and opened the door; Marinette got in across from Alya. Alya hadn't done anything particularly special with her hair, but she had at least opted for a nice black pair of jeans, a shimmery grey silk blouse, and soft grey ankle boots. She looked Marinette up and down and smirked. "I think _you_ should be in magazines instead of glamor-boy here, looking like that."

"Lookin' good, Marinette," Nino said. He was dressed almost the same as always, except he'd left his signature hat at home, and he wore an open white shirt over his usual tee.

"Thanks," Marinette said, ducking her head.

Adrien got back into the car next to Marinette. "Okay, let's get to the restaurant," he said.

All through dinner, the group made idle conversation. Adrien asked a lot of questions about Marinette, trying to get her to open up about herself. Alya frequently had to steer Marinette back into the conversation and away from her own tangled tongue, as well as covertly keeping her from klutzing her way into ruining her outfit with food or drink spills. By the time they were through the soup, Marinette had loosened up enough that she was able to engage Adrien in conversation just fine on her own, although once her jangled nerves settled down, her mind started picking up on subtle little things that kept coming up during the conversation.

Like the fact that suddenly, Adrien couldn't seem to string ten words together without letting fly with an incredibly bad pun. Nino and Alya called him out on it repeatedly; Marinette couldn't help but giggle at his put-upon reaction. "Nobody appreciates my sense of humor," he complained.

As soon as they finished eating, they returned to the limo and headed to the concert. As expected of the son of Gabriel Agreste, Adrien had managed to finagle extremely good seats for an almost sold-out show, as well as backstage passes. They arrived with ten minutes to spare before the opening act, and spent that time enjoying being in each other's company and soaking in the rowdy atmosphere.

None of them had heard of the group that opened the show, but they were pretty good and did the job of getting everyone into the spirit of things. After a quick set of three songs, the opening act bowed out, and Nico, Chris, and Ben—the Subdigitals—took the stage. The band immediately launched into their most popular song, "S'Envoler", drawing wild cheers and screaming from the crowd.

"This is _GREAT!_ " Marinette yelled, clapping her hands and stomping her feet along with the music.

"Yeah, I'm glad you asked me out to this!" Adrien agreed. "Even though, uh, I ended up asking you and we're on a double OW!"

Nino drew his hand back from where he'd just slapped Adrien upside the head, then curled his other arm around Alya. "You know, I'd never actually heard of these guys before now," he said. "They rock!"

"Yeah they do!" Alya agreed. "Too bad they haven't put out an album in a while. They're pretty much strictly a live act these days."

"Well, you can't blame them," Adrien said. "They have a spotty history." He glanced over at Marinette, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Wouldn't you say they have a spotty history, Marinette?"

"Huh?" Marinette blinked. "Well, I, uh—did hear some rumors about weird things happening when they were working on a music video and again on their second album, but..."

"Dude, you okay?" Nino asked suddenly. "You've been saying weird stuff all day."

"Yeah, not to mention all the awful puns," Alya agreed. "What's with you?"

Adrien shrugged. "Nothing, I'm just feeling nice and relaxed." He smiled. "I'm at a kickin' concert with a really cute girl and two good friends. This is the most fun I've had in forever! I can just let loose and not worry about what anybody thinks of me."

Marinette tilted her head and studied Adrien. She smiled. "Yeah, that makes sense. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of stress you must be under most of the time." She then blushed furiously. "C-cute...?"

"I can't believe your dad actually let you out to play tonight, man!" Nino said.

Adrien laughed sheepishly. "Well..." He coughed into his fist. "Actually, Nathalie's covering for me on this one. She uh..." He ducked his head. "Turns out, she approves of the idea of me dating, so."

"Really? That's...interesting." Marinette flinched. _*Crap! I never even THOUGHT about how much trouble trying to ask Adrien out might cause for him at home...*_

"You mean that scary lady actually has a heart?" Nino asked.

Adrien sighed. "More than my father does, anyway."

Alya leaned around Nino, a strained smile on her face. "Hey. Guys. Come on. We're here to have fun. Let's not go there tonight, okay?"

Adrien smiled. "You're right. Tonight's about having a good time."

And that's when the lights went out.

The band stopped playing. The crowd's cheers turned into confused murmurs. "Uhh," Nico said on stage, "sorry, folks. Looks like we've got a—"

A single, dimmed spotlight illuminated the stage in front of the band. A dark figure stood there—completely dark; his body was a tall, thin silhouette. Piercing grey eyes shone from an otherwise dark face. The only other visible detail was a large purple _fleur de lis_ positioned over his heart.

 _"Good evening! Were you enjoying the show? Well, too bad, because **I'm** taking over this stage. I am OVERSHADOW, and I will upstage all performers in Paris! Ladybug, Chat Noir...come and stop me if you can! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Marinette slumped forward. _"Seriously?!"_

"HEY! Get off the stage, you freak!" Ben, the bassist, took an angry step toward Overshadow.

Overshadow turned toward him. "Don't even think about it!" He raised his hand; tendrils of darkness shot up from the stage, wrapping around Ben and dragging him away.

All around the arena, people began screaming and stampeding for the exits. Adrien stood up. "We need to get out of here!"

"Are you nuts?" Alya said, her phone already out and recording. "I've gotta capture this for Ladyblog!"

Coils of darkness shot out in every direction, picking up random concert-goers and suspending them from the rafters. Adrien and Marinette shared a troubled look, nodded, and grabbed Nino and Alya respectively, making a mad dash for the nearest exit. "Get to the limo!" Adrien said. "I'll start directing people out of the south exit!"

"I'll help evacuate the east exit!" Marinette added.

"What, you think we can't do that too?" Nino asked, yanking his arm free. "I'll cover the west exit!"

"And I'm staying here to cover the story!" Alya insisted firmly.

Marinette gave Alya an imploring look, then sighed and shook her head. "Fine," she said. "But if it gets too hot in here, RUN, okay?"

"Promise!" With that, the four teens went their separate ways.

* * *

Marinette broke left once she cleared the east exit, found a maintenance corridor, and ducked out of sight. "Of all the times for an Akuma to attack," she growled, opening her bag and releasing Tikki. "Can't I even finally have my date with Adrien without one jerk or another messing with my life?"

"Poor Marinette," Tikki said sadly. "But at least it was going well, right? That means there's still hope. Come on, let's deal with this Akuma!"

"Right! _**Tikki, spots on!**_ " Tikki vanished into the Miraculous, which turned from black to a bright red with black spots. Marinette's clothes were replaced by the bright red, black-spotted, indestructible skintight Ladybug costume. Freshly transformed, Ladybug sprinted back to the exit, using her yo-yo to swing up into the rafters. "Alright, let's see what—"

A chain made of solid shadow slammed into the back of her head, sending her crashing to the floor.

* * *

"I can't _believe this!_ " Adrien growled as he ducked into the men's restroom. "My first date _ever_ and _this_ happens!"

"Well, at least your date isn't over yet," Plagg said. "I mean, if you're right about Marinette being Ladybug, then you're still on a date with her. It's just...different now."

"Funny," Adrien grumbled. "Normally I enjoy fighting Akumatized supervillains with Ladybug, but right now, I'm just really aggravated. _**Plagg, claws out!**_ "

The ring on Adrien's finger turned black as Plagg disappeared into it. Adrien's eyes turned from their usual sparkling green into the vivid, luminescent green eyes of a cat as the black leather catsuit, ears, mask, and tail of Chat Noir formed on his body. "I'm coming, My Lady!" Readying his baton, he raced back into the arena, crashing through the emergency exit just in time to see Ladybug fall from the rafters. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Time seemed to slow as he ran forward, extending his baton and using it as a vaulting pole. Chains of shadow lashed out at him, but he batted them away, singularly focused on Ladybug. He caught her in midair; she threw her yo-yo up into the light rig over the stage. Together, they rocketed over the empty seats, past the dozens of people trapped in the rafters, and landed above the stage. Ladybug jumped out of Chat Noir's arms and crouched beside him, glaring down at Overshadow. "Okay, I'm guessing the Akuma is in that eyesore of a _fleur de lis_ ," Ladybug said. "I _was_ having a good evening until now, so let's take care of this already."

Chat Noir gave her a mock-offended look. "What, you don't enjoy spending time with _me_ , My Lady? I'm truly, deeply hurt!"

Overshadow looked up at them, his silver eyes gleaming maliciously. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! You stole my spotlight! You ruined my moment of glory! I'll show Paris—and all of France—that children like you should never be seen _or_ heard!"

The lone spotlight went out, along with every other light source in the arena. Absolute darkness settled.

"Ladybug? I think we need to get out of here. This whole place feels like a trap."

"I agree. You can still see, right?" Chat Noir answered by scooping her up in his arms and jumping down onto the stage, then leaping across rows of seats, weaving between heavy chains of darkness. "Throw your yo-yo straight ahead now!" he instructed. Ladybug did so; it slammed into a fire alarm panel, and a shrill noise filled the arena.

"Sorry, can't see where I'm aiming," Ladybug apologized.

"No, that's what I wanted you to hit," Chat Noir said. "And three...two..."

Bright halogen lights snapped on one by one in the ceiling high above, flooding the arena with blinding illumination. The chains holding the hostages began dissolving, dropping innocent bystanders to the floor below. Chat Noir and Ladybug jumped around wildly, catching as many people as they could. On stage, Overshadow hissed as his body became translucent. He folded into the ground, becoming a shadow which slithered toward an emergency exit, escaping the harsh glare of the overhead lights.

As soon as they were able to regroup, Ladybug shielded her eyes against the glare. "How'd you know?" she asked.

"Internet." Chat Noir frowned. "Well, he got away, so—"

"No he didn't," Alya said, running up to them, her phone in her hand. "Or rather, maybe he did, maybe he didn't. It's hard to say."

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked. Alya handed over her phone. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at the news report playing on the phone, and their eyes widened.

"This guy's attacking concerts, stage plays, and movie screenings _all over Paris_ ," Alya summed up. "Everywhere in the city that it's dark and there are a lot of people, he's showing up." She frowned, tilting her head. "How is it you two both happened to be here, at this one specific place he targeted? I mean, you got here _really_ fast."

Chat Noir rubbed the back of his head. "Big Subdigitals fan," he said with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah!" Ladybug agreed with a nervous smile. "Wouldn't miss their show for the world!"

Alya blinked. "Huh. Interesting! It never even occurred to me to wonder what kind of music you were into. I'll have to add a new feature to Ladyblog." She began to wander off. "Oh, good luck with this Overshadow guy! I think I'll sit this one out. My friends are somewhere around here and I need to check on them."

"Yeah, you do that," Ladybug said. "Or better yet, go home and stay safe. Come on, Kitty, looks like it's gonna be a long night."

"Great! Seeing as my other plans fell through, there's nothing I'd rather do than spend the evening with My Lady."

Ladybug shook her head and rolled her eyes as they left the arena.

* * *

Hawk Moth smiled grimly. "Good, Overshadow. You've stolen the spotlight. The city is yours. It's only a matter of time before you have your revenge on Ladybug and Chat Noir, and I have their Miraculous!"

* * *

Forty minutes had passed since Ladybug and Chat Noir left the arena. In that time, they'd gained an appreciation for just how much trouble they were in.

"Ngh!" Ladybug grunted as she struggled to pull her leg free from a sticky web of shadow. Chat Noir aimed the end of his baton at it; a narrow beam of light struck the shadows, dissolving them. Ladybug shook out her leg. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Chat Noir said. "Man, am I glad there's a flashlight app on this thing!"

"This is hopeless!" Ladybug cried. "How is this Overshadow so much more powerful than any other Akuma?"

"Well, he _does_ control darkness and shadows," Chat Noir said. He gestured expansively around them. "And, well...it's night. Plenty of darkness."

Ladybug groaned. "Perfect. We don't even know _where_ the _real_ Overshadow is, and I don't think we can keep doing this all night." She paused. "I can't be out _all night_ fighting this Akuma! I'll be SO DEAD when I get home!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, little girl," Overshadow said from behind them. They turned around; he stood there, wielding a sword of shadow. "I too would prefer to end this _quickly_."

With a yell, Chat Noir turned up the intensity on his flashlight, pointing it at Overshadow. His sword warped and wavered, but unlike the last Overshadow they faced, his body remained firm. His _fleur de lis_ gleamed in the light.

"Wait," Ladybug said. "This one's different. Look." She pointed at the _fleur de lis_ , which—unlike the purple one on the last three Overshadows they'd met—was gold.

"You're right!" Chat Noir said. "I bet _this_ is the real one!"

"Clever, child," Overshadow said. "I wanted to finish you off myself, in person. I want to see your faces with my own eyes as your final curtain falls."

"Why are you even so mad at us?" Ladybug asked. "What did we ever do to you?"

"You upstaged me!" Overshadow snarled. "On my day to shine, you two obnoxious children stole my thunder!" He pointed his sword at them. "I can never forgive such an offense!"

"Oh, I get it!" Chat Noir said. "This is that old guy that was about to talk to those reporters this morning when we had our fight with Cabbatage."

Ladybug dragged her palm down her face. "Seriously? You got Akumatized over _that?_ "

"ENOUGH!" Overshadow sent several chains of darkness toward them; Ladybug and Chat Noir broke left and right, cartwheeling around the chains. Overshadow lunged at Chat Noir, sword raised. Chat Noir parried his thrust, then caught him in the side with his baton. They fenced back and forth across the rooftop while Ladybug did her best to evade dancing tendrils of shadow and tried to edge closer to Overshadow. She threw her yo-yo, attempting to knock the _fleur de lis_ from his chest, but coils of shadow slapped it away, then wrapped around the wire and sent it flying back at her. She yelped as it conked her in the head, then wrapped itself around her neck and tried to strangle her.

"LADYBUG!" Chat Noir broke out of his duel and aimed his flashlight at Ladybug's throat; the shadows subsided enough for her to regain control of her yo-yo, which she unwrapped from her neck and retracted.

"We need to get him somewhere bright!" Ladybug rasped, massaging her throat.

Chat Noir looked out over the city. "I hate to tell you this, but this is as bright as Paris gets at night—and it's not exactly pitch black out here!"

"FOOLS!" Overshadow jeered. "Under the cover of darkness, I am invincible!"

"So what do we do?" Ladybug asked.

Two dozen massive tentacles of shadow rose up behind Overshadow.

"I vote we RUN!" Chat Noir yelled, leaping off the roof. Ladybug let out a shriek and followed, swinging out into the night. Overshadow chased them, tentacles of darkness slapping at them, trying to grab them, and impeding their progress. They steered towards the most brightly-lit areas of the city they could find, making a beeline for the distant beacon of the Eiffel Tower. "What are we supposed to do about this guy, Ladybug?"

"I don't know!" Ladybug moaned. "The only thing I can think of is to wait out the clock until the sun comes up and fight him when it's daylight!"

"That's it? Really? That's your plan?"

"I don't see you coming up with a better idea!"

Overshadow's laughter filled the night. They looked around to see dozens of copies of him lining the streets, arms folded. Coils and chains of darkness sprang up everywhere.

"Wait until morning, got it! But I don't think we can keep this up all night! This cat's gonna need a litter box sooner or later!"

"Really didn't need that mental image," Ladybug muttered. She sighed. "I guess there's only one thing we can do. Cover me!" She stopped swinging, landed on a roof, and threw her yo-yo skyward. _**"LUCKY CHARM!"**_

In a spray of hearts and light, a thin ladybug-print envelope appeared, falling into Ladybug's waiting hand. She blinked at it. "Huh?" Opening it, she withdrew an advertisement for Le 58 Tour Eiffel.

Chat Noir scratched his head. "Okay, I give. How's dinner at a tourist restaurant gonna solve our problem?"

"I have no idea," Ladybug said. "For now, let's just get to the Eiffel Tower. We'll figure out what to do from there."

* * *

By the time the two teen superheroes reached the Eiffel Tower, they were exhausted, Ladybug was down to three spots, and Chat Noir's first pad had just vanished. "Can't...keep this up..." Ladybug panted.

The tower itself was surrounded by police, with Agent Roger front and center. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! How close are you to putting a stop to this madness?"

Chat Noir scratched the back of his head. "Actually, we...have a problem."

Ladybug looked at Agent Roger with despair. "We don't think Overshadow can be defeated at night," she said. "I hate to say it, but we may not be able to save Paris from this menace until morning."

The police officers along the line murmured in confusion, looking back and forth from one another to the two heroes. Agent Roger scratched his head. "What, do you two have a curfew or something?"

"It's not that," Ladybug said. "He's just too powerful when it's dark. This may be the one place in the entire city where we're even remotely _safe_ from him right now, and I've already used my Lucky Charm." She waved the restaurant flyer absently. "All it gave me was...this..." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something. "That lantern. Can I borrow it?"

Agent Roger followed her gaze. She was looking at a powerful LED lantern which was standard issue equipment for special tactics units. He shrugged. "Sure, we have plenty."

"Do you have a plan after all, Ladybug?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug appropriated the lantern.

"No," Ladybug said, shaking her head. "Not one that'll end this tonight, anyway. But at least...at least we can regroup." Her earrings beeped; another spot vanished. "Is the Tower clear?"

Agent Roger nodded. "We evacuated the Tower as soon as Overshadow appeared," he said. "Everything's on lockdown."

"Good," Ladybug said. "If we can use this lantern to keep one small room lit all night, we can—"

"—hole up until dawn, get some rest, be ready to fight when he isn't this ridiculously powerful," Chat Noir finished. His own Miraculous let out a beep; another pad disappeared. "I hate this plan. I hate running away from a fight and leaving the city in chaos all night. But...you're right. This is the only way we even have a chance." He frowned. "We'll need a room where we have access to food, though. Like..."

"A kitchen?" Agent Roger suggested.

"A kitchen!" Ladybug exclaimed, looking at the restaurant flyer. "Of course! Restaurants have big pantries and stuff, right?"

"Well, yeah," Chat Noir said. "You're not suggesting—"

"Come on!" Ladybug said, handing him the lantern and wrapping an arm around his waist, then swinging up into the tower, making a beeline for one of the restaurants within. Down below, Agent Roger barked orders to his men; every single lantern, headlight, and floodlight the police had was turned on, adding to the alright bright glow of the Eiffel Tower.

* * *

It had taken almost all of Ladybug's remaining time to break into the restaurant and find the kitchen's storage room, which was full of dry goods and foods that could be kept safely at room temperature. Once inside, they barricaded the door and turned the lantern on, filling the small room with a harsh electric glare.

A shrill warning beep emanated from Ladybug's earrings. Across the room, Chat Noir's ring flashed a warning of its own.

They locked eyes. Ladybug swallowed. "Well...I guess this is it," she said.

"You know, we _could_ still...I dunno...turn away, face the corners, stay like that while our Kwamis chow down," Chat Noir said. "We don't _have_ to see each other."

Ladybug laughed softly. "I don't think that'll work," she said. "It's still a long time until sunrise. We need to rest, we probably need to eat something ourselves, _and_ we need to come up with a plan for when we _do_ go back out there." She smiled. "Kinda hard to do all that if we're stuck in the corners like we're in time-out." She sighed. "I don't see any way out of this situation where we don't finally know each other's true identities. Sorry."

Chat Noir shrugged. "I don't really mind. I trust you completely. Besides, I, uhh...I kinda already figured out who you really are."

Ladybug blinked. "Eh? How—"

Chat Noir smiled. "It's okay. Your secret is safe with me, My Lady...or rather, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

With a bright flash, Ladybug was replaced by Marinette; Tikki bounced across the floor, groaning in exhaustion.

Marinette stared at Chat Noir, flustered. "H-how'd you know?" she asked.

Chat Noir shrugged. "The whole thing with your dad and Chloé. Our little chat with the mayor. Things just started to fall into place." He grimaced. "It helps that, well..." He closed his eyes. In a bright flash, his costume melted away, revealing his true identity. Plagg plopped onto the floor in front of him, listing dizzily to one side.

Marinette's jaw dropped. _"A-A-A-A-_ _ **ADRIEN?!**_ _"_ She numbly pointed a finger at Adrien. " _You're_ Chat Noir?"

"And you're Ladybug," Adrien said.

"And I'm hungry," Plagg interjected. "Where's the Camembert? Ah, hello Tikki! Long time no see, eh?"

"Boy, I'll say!" Tikki said brightly.

Marinette started to laugh. It wasn't a pleasant laugh or a happy laugh. It was the kind of laugh that made your skin crawl.

Three sets of eyes focused on her.

Marinette tilted her head back against the shelves behind her, eyes closed. Hysterical laughter poured out of her in great, heaving peals.

Adrien blinked. "Uhh...Marinette?"

"Of COURSE!" Marinette yelled suddenly. "WHY NOT? Because the universe just LOVES playing little jokes at my expense!" She shook her head and buried her face in her hands, rocking back and forth and giggling. "The boy I've spent the entire last year crushing on and the guy who's been obnoxiously flirting with me ever since the day we met are one and the same? Sure! Let's do that! Ha!"

Adrien leaned forward. "Is...is she okay?" he whispered.

Tikki looked up at him, a sheepish expression on her face. "I honestly don't know," she said. "I think this is a pretty big shock for her. I'm Tikki, by the way! It's nice to meet you, Adrien."

"Likewise," Adrien said, his eyes never leaving Marinette.

"There's no Camembert!" Plagg complained. "Why'd you have to hide in a place with no Camembert!"

Marinette suddenly stopped laughing and gasped sharply. "Oh my god. Adrien is Chat Noir. _Adrien is Chat Noir._ " She stared across the room at Adrien, her eyes wide.

"And Marinette is Ladybug," Adrien said. "I thought we'd established that," he added with a slight smirk.

"Very ironic, no?" Plagg mused as he ransacked the shelves. "The mystery girl you love so much has been right in front of you this whole time."

"L-love?" Marinette asked numbly, her cheeks red.

Adrien swallowed heavily. "Umm..." He coughed. "I mean, you know, well..."

Tikki reappeared holding a chunk of unsweetened chocolate, an amused smile on her face. "I think I know what's going on here," she said in a sing-song voice.

Marinette started to play with her hair, ducking her head. "W-wow," she said. "Adrien, I—" She paused, then frowned. "But wait, you're Chat Noir. That means all those lame, cheesy, obnoxious come-ons I've been putting up with all this time were coming from _ADRIEN?!_ " She threw back her head and screamed in frustration. "GAAAH! You think you know someone! SERIOUSLY!"

"Lame?" Adrien echoed with a wince.

"Well, you _do_ come on kinda strong," Tikki said sheepishly.

"Like Camembert!" Plagg added.

"SHUT UP ABOUT THE CAMEMBERT!" Adrien and Tikki both yelled.

"How could the sweet, cool, handsome guy I haven't been able to stop thinking about for _months_ be the same guy who annoys me constantly with his corny flirting and obnoxious puns?"

"HEY! My puns are awesome!" Adrien retorted.

"No they're not," three deadpan voices replied in unison.

Marinette slumped forward. "This is _so_ wrong," she moaned. "I _can't_ be in love with Chat Noir."

Adrien scratched the back of his neck and glanced at Tikki. "Can you, uh, clue me in here? I don't think Marinette's calm enough to talk it out right now."

Tikki swallowed a bite of chocolate, then floated to a spot halfway between Marinette and Adrien. "Well, Marinette's had a crush on you for months," she said. "She's always trying to tell you, but she just can't manage to spit it out—she always gets so flustered when she tries that she starts stuttering and mixing up her words."

"Huh. I noticed that, but..." Adrien blinked. "So all this time, Marinette's been trying to tell me..."

"Yeah," Tikki said.

"And all this time, Adrien's been swooning over Ladybug," Plagg said, perching on the edge of a shelf.

Tikki giggled. "Okay, you have to admit this is all pretty funny."

Adrien ran his hands through his hair and groaned. "Yeah. Hilarious." He chuckled ruefully.

"So, umm..." Marinette averted her gaze.

Adrien ducked his eyes. "Umm...so..."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Wake me when the sun comes up."

"What _is_ with all the lame come-ons?" Marinette asked suddenly. "Why can't you just be as nice and honest and, and...and _Adrien_ when you're Chat Noir?" She looked off to the side. "I mean...if you acted like _you_ and not some cheesy dork, I might..."

"You really know how to hurt a man's pride, My Lady," Adrien said softly. He sighed. "The way I flirt with you really bothers you that much?"

Marinette blushed. "Well..." She toyed with her hair. "I mean, it's _nice_ , the attention and all, and most of the time it's just funny. Not in an 'oh, I'm swooning over this guy' way, but in an 'oh, he thinks he's cute' way. I mean. You are. Cute. Because you're Adrien, how can you not be cute, but oh my god why am I babbling again."

Adrien chuckled. "I don't mind." He shook his head. "I just want to _not_ be myself when I'm Chat Noir, you know?" He paused, frowned, then added, "No, that's not quite it. It's more like...Chat Noir is me being free. No restrictions, no overbearing father, no cold, lonely house, no ridiculous schedule. When I'm Chat Noir, I decide what I'm going to do, how I'm going to do it. I can stretch. I can breathe. I can do something that _means_ something and isn't just for show." He smirked. "Aaand maybe I act a little like the playboy all those groupies think I have to be because I'm a famous model. What can I say? As Chat Noir, I can _enjoy_ the kind of attention I usually try to avoid."

Marinette looked into his eyes. "Oh. Wow." She ducked her head. "I...I think I understand. I mean, I know your life isn't easy. I know you were alone until you came to school. I guess...I can see how being a superhero, saving the city..." She looked away. "I can see why you'd want to just get away and go wild."

"So what about you?" Adrien asked. "What does being Ladybug mean to you?"

Marinette thought about it for a minute. "Confidence in myself," she decided. "Until I put on the Miraculous, I never had any real self-esteem. I was just clumsy, disaster-prone Marinette. Being Ladybug has changed me for the better."

Adrien smiled. "I'd have to agree," he said. "I've known you for months, and I've always admired you and thought of you as a good friend and a talented and amazing girl. Now that...now that I know..." He blushed. "I can see Ladybug's beauty and confidence in you. No...no, that's not right. I see _your_ beauty in Ladybug."

Marinette blushed furiously. "You...you think I'm...?"

"Yeah," Adrien said.

"So...you really did know I was Ladybug?" Marinette asked.

Adrien nodded. "Like I said, the way you blew up at Chloé and Mayor Bourgeois raised a lot of alarm bells. Plus all the stuff you knew about all the kids in our class," he added, shrugging. "I mean, after all that, I knew it had to be either you or Rose. You're the only two girls in our class who haven't been Akumatized."

Marinette laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess that'd be a giveaway, huh?" She frowned suddenly, then smacked herself in the forehead. "Horrificator! It never even _occurred_ to me to wonder what the heck Chat Noir was doing there!" She groaned. "AUGH! How did I miss something that _obvious?!_ "

"The same way I missed you knowing the monster was Mylène," Adrien said. After a moment, they both started laughing hysterically.

"Boy, are we _dumb!_ " Marinette giggled, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yeah," Adrien agreed with a smile.

Adrien's phone rang. He blinked, then fished it out of his pocket. "Oh crap." He answered. "Hello, Nathalie. I'm fine. Sorry, my phone was off. I just now realized—yes, I'm safe. I'm kind of trapped, though. Um, with Marinette. We're trapped in a closet. No, it's—don't worry. I really think you need to stay put. These creepy shadow guys really made a mess of the city. Huh? Ladybug and Chat Noir retreated? That's..." He paused. "Seriously, I'm _fine_. I'll just wait here with Marinette until things calm down. I mean, Ladybug and Chat Noir are gonna save the day eventually, right? Uh-huh." He grimaced. "Yeah. I figured as much. Alright. Tomorrow, then." He hung up, dropped his phone, and groaned. "Well, so much for my social life." He looked up. "If you were planning on asking me out again, it's probably not gonna happen after this."

Marinette winced. "Now that you mention it, I'm probably grounded. _Again._ " She dug out her own phone and called home, giving her parents a modified version of the same 'trapped in a closet' story and assuring them she was safe and would stay put until the coast was clear.

Once she was done, Adrien cracked a yawn. "So what now?" he asked.

"Now, we get some sleep. In the morning, we take care of Overshadow." Marinette yawned, slumping against the shelves behind her. "After that..." She blushed. "After that, we figure out what to do about us." Her eyes widened, and she played with her hair nervously. "I mean...we figure out if there _is_ an us."

"Do you want there to be an us?"

"Y-yes! I definitely want..." Marinette paused. "But it's, I mean..." She shook her head. "This? Being with you, telling you how I feel? It's all I've wanted for so long now. But the whole I'm Ladybug and you're Chat Noir and we're a two-person love triangle thing, that's..." She sighed. "That makes it complicated."

"No it doesn't," Adrien said softly. "Not for me, anyway." He yawned again. "Tell you what, My Lady. We'll worry about it tomorrow. I've waited this long, I think I can wait a few more hours."

"Umm...y-yeah. Me too. Goodnight, Adrien."

"Goodnight, Marinette."

* * *

The alarm on Marinette's phone woke her up. She stirred sleepily, blinking down at it. Her back ached something fierce. It took a moment to register that she had fallen asleep sitting up on a cold cement floor, leaning against shelves full of dry goods. She looked across the room and saw Adrien in a similar position.

The night's events raced through her mind, and her face burned scarlet.

She picked up her phone and turned off the alarm, then looked around the room. The LED lantern was still shining brightly, filling the restaurant's storage space with light. She stood up, stretched, groaned, then walked over to Adrien and sat down in front of him, shaking his shoulder. "Adrien. Wake up."

Adrien stirred and groaned. His eyes opened sleepily. "Hey," he said with a smile.

"Hey."

Adrien rubbed his shoulder with a wince. "Remind me never to spend the night sleeping in a pantry ever again," he complained.

Tikki and Plagg popped up between them. "Ready to get back out there and stop Overshadow?" Tikki asked.

"You bet we are!" Adrien agreed.

"Wait," Marinette said. "We need a plan first. I seriously doubt he's just going to show himself in the middle of the city and wait for us where he doesn't have any power."

"Hmm. Good point, My Lady." Adrien scratched his cheek. "So what do you suggest?"

Marinette frowned. "We need to find a way to draw him out," she said. "He seemed to have a _really_ weak reason for coming after us. If we can figure out who he is—"

"Already taken care of," Tikki said. She floated over to Marinette's phone and pushed it across the floor, then landed on the screen. "We did some research while you two were asleep. His name is René Renoir. He's an actor who retired after his last movie bombed. He's supposed to be starring in a new movie, trying to resurrect his career, and he was holding a press conference in the plaza where you two fought Cabbateur yesterday."

"I get it," Adrien said. "That press conference was his way of..." He frowned. "And we wrecked it just by showing up and hogging all the attention. No wonder he's out to get us."

"This Renoir fellow has a history of his ego getting the better of him," Plagg said. "He's never been a star, and he's always acted like he was the best thing since Camembert. At least, that's what the Internet says."

"Hmm," Marinette said, rubbing her chin. "So he has an ego problem. Maybe we can use that..."

"Oh la la, My Lady's lovely brain at work," Adrien said with a grin.

Marinette gave him a half-lidded glare. "Don't do that," she said. "Not when you're Adrien. It's creeping me out."

"Sorry."

Marinette sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just still processing...you know." She shook her head.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Tikki said helpfully. "You're not tongue-tied around Adrien anymore."

"Well, yeah," Marinette said. "Now that I know he's Chat Noir. Chat Noir, I can handle." She blinked. "Huh."

"So you can't handle Adrien?" Adrien asked teasingly. "I'm too hot to hold?"

Marinette's left eye twitched. "You're in serious danger of making me forget how madly in love with you I am," she said. "Don't push it."

"Ouch."

"She's not a morning person, is she?" Plagg asked.

"You have _no idea_ ," Tikki replied with a giggle.

"ANYWAY," Marinette said loudly, "as I was saying, if we can figure out a way to use Overshadow's ego against him, we can lure him into a trap..."

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir descended from the Eiffel Tower to find the police line unbroken and Mayor Bourgeois standing front and center, hands clasped behind his back. "Ladybug, Chat Noir," he said brusquely.

"Good morning, Monsieur Mayor," Ladybug said. "We're sorry to keep you waiting, but Overshadow was simply too powerful to deal with at night."

"Yeah, you have to get up pretty early to deal with a supervillain who controls darkness," Chat Noir added.

Mayor Bourgeois frowned. "Well, when all is said and done, it's no worse than the Stoneheart crisis," he said. "Still, I trust you _have_ given the situation some thought and are ready to rid my city of this menace?"

"We have, Monsieur Mayor," Ladybug said with a firm nod. "But we're going to need some help." She held out a piece of paper. "We need these people brought to this location, and we need every news outlet in Paris broadcasting it."

Mayor Bourgeois looked over the list, frowning. "But why...?"

"We're setting a trap," Chat Noir said. "We don't have time to go into the details."

The mayor nodded. "Alright. I'll get right on this. But I do expect some answers later!"

Two hours later, a very confused group of elderly film critics and a retired director in a wheelchair with a nurse attending him were gathered in a large pavilion tent in the same plaza where Cabbateur had been defeated the day before. Ladybug looked over the group while Chat Noir kept an eye on the entrance.

"I apologize for having you all brought here so abruptly," Ladybug said. "I'll get right to the point: everyone in this tent is bait for a trap. The villain Overshadow, who spent the entire night terrorizing Paris, is has-been actor René Renoir."

"RENOIR?" the old man in the wheelchair cried angrily. "That hack ruined my career!"

"We've gathered everybody Renoir is likely to have ever held a grudge against in this one tent," Ladybug explained. "It's being broadcast all over Paris on every TV, radio, and Internet newscast. If his ego is half as bad as the Internet says it is, he'll show himself, and we'll stop him. Please, I ask you all to be patient."

"Uhh, Ladybug?" Chat Noir said from the tent flap. "He's coming!"

Ladybug nodded. "Seal the tent. We want him to think he has the upper hand."

Chat Noir saluted and sealed the tent flap, plummeting the inside of the tent into darkness.

With Overshadow obligingly walking right into their trap, what came next couldn't even be described as a battle. Once he was inside the tent, Chat Noir destroyed the top, flooding it with sunlight. After that, it took two minutes for Ladybug and Chat Noir to subdue Overshadow and release his Akuma, leaving a confused René Renoir surrounded by a small crowd of very put-out old people. Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a fistbump, then hastily departed the scene.

On a rooftop some distance away, Chat Noir smiled. "Not bad for our second date," he said.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "All things considered, I think we need a do-over on our _first_ date," she said. She blushed. "Call me later?"

Chat Noir leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers. "If my father doesn't lock me in solitary." With a wave, he sprinted and jumped his way across the rooftops of Paris.

A wide-eyed Ladybug touched her lips. "Wow...!" Her face as red as her outfit, she swung away in the direction of her parents' bakery. She landed behind the building, reversing her transformation, then walked through the front door. "Mama? Papa? I'm home!"

She was swept up in a bone-crushing hug.

* * *

Hawk Moth scowled furiously as the shutters in his dark lair began to iris shut. "This isn't over, Ladybug," he snarled. "I'm through with these games. It's time to play my trump card." He struck the floor with his cane as the lair was plunged into darkness.

* * *

When Adrien walked into the house, he found Nathalie and his father standing there waiting for him. The look on Gabriel's face was stern, cold, forbidding—and worried.

"I have reconsidered allowing you to leave this house," Gabriel said. "We are returning to your original schedule. Your friends, that school, it's over."

"NO!" Adrien shouted. "You can't do that!"

"I am your father," Gabriel said. "You will do as I say."

"Father, please!" Adrien said, his eyes full of pain. "I have friends! I have a girlfriend! You can't just lock me up in this cold, empty _tomb_ like some animal!"

"I will do whatever I must to keep you _safe_."

"I'M NOT MOTHER!" Adrien shouted. "This, what you're doing to me—not letting me live my life—you're _insulting everything she was!_ "

Gabriel flinched as if struck.

"I'm out of here," Adrien announced, turning on his heel and storming out of the house. "If you send that gorilla after me, I promise you'll never see me again." He slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing through the cavernous atrium like a cannon shot.

Nathalie looked at Gabriel uncertainly. "Monsieur?"

Gabriel's jaw tightened. Without a word, he turned and went upstairs, pausing for a brief moment in front of the portrait of his wife. Once he was gone, Nathalie looked helplessly toward the front door with a faint, worried frown. "Adrien..."

* * *

After a solid hour of parental smothering, Marinette almost prayed for another Akuma attack.

"Really, I'm _fine_ , Mama!" she said for the tenth time. "I told you, Adrien and I got shoved into a broom closet! We decided to wait there the whole night until we saw on the Internet that Ladybug and Chat Noir beat the villain!"

"I don't like the idea of you spending the night in a broom closet alone with a boy," Tom said as he laid a fresh tray of cookies on the table.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Nothing happened...exactly." She smiled and played with her hair.

"So what _did_ happen _exactly?_ " Sabine asked.

Marinette blushed. "We, well...we talked," she said. She ducked her head. "And I think we...I think we're probably, you know..."

"A couple?"

"Maybe." Marinette's smile turned silly. "At the very least, I found out I can have a normal conversation with him without forgetting how to talk." She blinked. "Oh! I need to call Alya!" Stuffing a cookie in her mouth, she raced upstairs.

Sabine and Tom exchanged a look. Sabine laughed. "Young love," she said.

Tom chuckled. "Brings back memories..."

* * *

"So what will you do now?" Plagg asked.

Adrien sat on a bench, looking out over the Seine. "For starters, hope Father won't call my bluff," he said. "I couldn't help it. He just...he makes me so _mad!_ "

"What _did_ happen to your mother?" Plagg asked. "In all this time, you've never really said."

"And I'm not going to," Adrien said, pressing his mouth into a thin line. "Sorry, I just...I don't want to talk about that." He scrubbed his hands through his hair. "Suffice to say, things haven't been the same between me and Father since..." He sighed and pulled out his phone. "I'm letting Nathalie know I'm crashing at Nino's place for a couple of nights."

"Are you going to let Nino know that?"

"Of course..."

* * *

Gabriel stared at an old family photograph, painful memories playing out in his mind.

"Adrien..."

Without question, he took after her. He always had and always would. He had her beauty, her fire, her _spirit_.

As he scrolled through dozens of photos of his wife and son, he thought back to just two weeks ago: The day his mansion fell siege to Jackady; the day he witnessed Ladybug and Chat Noir in action with his own eyes.

His mouth tightened.

"I must do what I must do," he said to himself. "He will understand. _She_ will understand."

* * *

Nathalie Sancoeur stood in the doorway of Gabriel Agreste's private home office, the one room in the Agreste mansion she had never dared set foot in. Even as his personal assistant, it was out of bounds for her. Today, she had been summoned directly. "You wanted to see me?"

Gabriel's chair turned slowly. "Enter. Close the door."

Nathalie took two steps into the office and closed the door behind her, clutching her tablet in a nervous deathgrip.

Gabriel placed his elbows on the desk and laced the fingers of his hands together, resting his chin upon them. He gazed dispassionately at Nathalie. "You have done well of late, looking after my son's best interests. In many ways, you have been a better parent to him than I have."

Nathalie touched her fingertips to her glasses in a nervous gesture. "I—I wouldn't say that, sir," she said.

"You needn't be so modest," Gabriel said. "Adrien has been happier and more full of life in this past year than I have known him to be in some time." He leaned forward. "However...there is a problem."

Nathalie swallowed nervously. "I-I know his running away is...is..."

Gabriel shook his head. "That will be dealt with. No, the more pressing concern is that my son has come into possession of something dangerous. Far too dangerous to be allowed to remain in his hands. An item I myself have great interest in acquiring."

Nathalie frowned slightly. "He's your son," she said. "I'm sure if you only ask—"

"It isn't quite so simple," Gabriel said. He rose from his chair and picked up his tablet, then walked around the desk to stand in front of Nathalie. He held his tablet up for her to see it. It showed a recent photograph of his son. "Tell me, Nathalie. When did Adrien start wearing this ring?"

Nathalie's brow furrowed. "The ring? He's been wearing it since he started attending school," she said. "I've never given it much thought."

"I've given it a great deal of thought as of late," Gabriel said. He slid his finger across the tablet; a new photograph appeared, one of Chat Noir. "Tell me, Nathalie. Were you aware my son had become a superhero?"

Nathalie blinked. "Wh-what?"

"Adrien is Chat Noir," Gabriel said firmly. "He all but revealed his identity to us when Jackady attacked my home. Do you recall?"

Nathalie pushed her glasses up with her free hand, frowning. "Chat Noir knew about the security system," she said slowly.

"Indeed." Gabriel turned his back to Nathalie. He walked over to his desk, setting down his tablet. "For reasons I need not explain to you, it is imperative that I obtain Adrien's ring, the item that allows him to become Chat Noir. However, it is not as simple as taking it off his finger while he sleeps." He turned back to face Nathalie. "He must be using it when it is taken from him, or its power will be sealed and it will be of no use to me."

Nathalie swallowed. A cold shiver went up her spine. She felt as though she were missing something important—as though the man before her was suddenly a complete stranger. "I-I don't understand..."

"I had hoped to accomplish this in a less direct manner, but the situation has changed, and I grow tired of the endless chase," Gabriel said. "You have served me faithfully for years, Mademoiselle Sancoeur. I want you to know that I sincerely regret what I must do now."

Nathalie retreated to the door, reaching behind her. She tried to open it, but found it was locked. "Wh-what—"

Gabriel's normally stern, emotionless face twisted into a dark, cold sneer. _**"NOOROO! LET THE NIGHT'S WINGS UNFOLD!"**_

Nathalie screamed...

 _ **À SUIVRE...**_

* * *

 _Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, and Thomas ASTRUC. This intellectual property is used without permission with no intent to profit from said use. The unique content contained on this page is the property of Mythril Moth, and redistribution of this content without express permission is strongly discouraged._


	3. Part 3: Heartless

**MIRACULOUS LADYBUG: HEARTLESS**

 _by Mythril Moth_

Marinette awoke on Monday morning feeling better than she had in days. Her dreams had been full of herself and Adrien, both as themselves and as their superhero alter egos, wandering around Paris together, taking a romantic stroll along the Seine, sitting at outdoor cafés staring into each other's eyes—dreams which were now all within her grasp, because she and Adrien were...

 _Were_ they?

She thought they probably were. After everything that had happened over the weekend, it seemed extremely probable that her long-time crush was now her boyfriend.

 _And_ her secret partner in fighting evil, which admittedly was a little weird.

Marinette sat up, stretched, sleepily opened her eyes...

And cried out in alarm because Chat Noir was perched on the foot of her bed, his green eyes regarding her over a roguish grin.

"Good morning, My Lady," he said cheerfully.

Marinette placed her hand over her heart, which hammered wildly in her chest. _"Adrien!"_ she hissed. "What are you doing in my room, _on my bed?!_ "

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow. "Okay, seriously? After all your complaining about my cheesy flirting and come-ons, you're really giving me an opening like _that?_ "

Marinette blinked, blushed, and threw her pillow at him. Chat Noir caught it, sniffed it, then gently tossed it back to her; it landed in her lap with a gentle _*fwump*_. "Adrien, seriously, what are you DOING here?"

Chat Noir shrugged. "Got up early, thought I'd drop by, see how you're doing." He smiled. "Love that little door over your bed. It must make coming and going as Ladybug a breeze."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Apparently it makes a good cat flap too," she said, shaking her head. "You're not gonna start stalking me or anything now, are you?"

Tikki's tinkling laughter filled the room. "Oh my GOD, I don't even know where to START to tell you what's wrong with what you just said!" she called out lightly.

Marinette groaned and pulled on her hair. "GAH! Too. Early. For. This!" She pointed up at the trap door. "Out," she commanded. "Go change back into Adrien _outside_ and wait for me in the bakery. I'll be down after I get ready for school. We can have breakfast together." She smiled somewhat evilly. "I'm sure Papa would _love_ to talk to you for the fifteen or twenty minutes it'll take me to come down."

Chat Noir's smile died, and he gulped nervously.

* * *

A dark place...

Hawk Moth watched the butterflies dance in his lair. "You understand what you must do."

"Yes, Hawk Moth," a cold, emotionless voice replied.

"I am placing my utmost trust in you. Every one of my Akumatized champions thus far has failed spectacularly. With you, I expect _much_ more satisfactory results."

"I have never failed you before, Hawk Moth."

"You have never failed Gabriel Agreste," Hawk Moth countered. "You have yet to prove yourself to Hawk Moth."

"Of course, Hawk Moth."

Hawk Moth turned away from the bright window, smiling coldly at his latest champion. "Bring him to me, Heartless. Bring me my son. _Bring me Chat Noir!_ "

"Understood, Hawk Moth."

As his latest Champion left, Hawk Moth leaned against his cane. "Soon, Ladybug. You will fall into my trap. I will have your Miraculous _and_ my son's. And then..." He closed his eyes. "Then, it will all have been worth it..."

* * *

When Marinette walked downstairs, she found an unusual sight awaiting her.

Adrien was standing behind the counter, serving the steady stream of customers coming and going their morning breads and pastries. He gave her a wave as he put two croissants into a bag and handed them to a customer.

Marinette shook her head and turned to her father. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"Ah, good morning, Marinette!" Tom said cheerfully. "Well, we're a little busier than usual today, so when your boyfriend walked in, he jumped right behind the counter and started helping out!" He chuckled jovially, his girth quaking. "I don't know if he's sucking up or if he's just genuinely helpful, but either way, I'm impressed!"

Marinette shook her head. "Well, we don't have a lot of time if we're going to eat breakfast before we leave for school." Adrien started juggling four croissants, then passed two of them to a flustered Marinette, who barely caught them, losing her balance and ending up pinwheeling on the toes of one foot as she did so. "GWAH!"

Tom laughed uproariously. "I love this kid!"

Marinette blew upward on her bangs as she righted herself. "Yaaay," she muttered sarcastically. Shaking her head, she took a big bite of croissant, even as her mother rushed in from nowhere with two glasses of orange juice, handing one to each teen.

Several minutes later, they were on their way to school. As they waited for the signal to cross the street, Marinette asked, " _What_ was _that?_ "

Adrien chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just...I'm in a good mood today." He tilted his face up to the sun and closed his eyes. "For some reason, I just feel more _free_ today than I've felt in a long time." He turned a lazy grin on her, his eyes twinkling. "Must be love."

Marinette blushed furiously. "S-so, umm...love makes your whole personality change overnight?" She brushed back some stray hair from her ear.

"My personality didn't change," Adrien said, putting an arm around her. "I'm just showing you who I really am. I _want_ you to know who I really am."

"Oh," Marinette said softly, ducking her head and giving him a shy sideways look. "Sorry, it's just...it's a bit of a shock to see you acting so much more like, you know..."

Adrien gave her a soft smile. "I can dial it back a bit, if you want."

"N-no," Marinette said. "I mean...I want you to be who you want to be with me," she added. "Just...I'm still getting used to it, that's all."

Adrien chuckled. "Well, if there's one thing I know about you, My Lady, it's that you know how to put this kitty in his place. It's one of the many things I love about you."

They stood staring into each other's eyes for so long they missed two signal changes, and wound up having to run most of the way to make the bell. Neither of them minded.

* * *

The arrival of Adrien and Marinette at school attracted quite a bit of attention, largely because they arrived holding hands, talking and laughing. The sight drew many looks of jealousy and disappointment from Adrien's groupies, and reactions ranging from surprise to silent amusement from their friends and classmates.

As soon as Sabrina saw them, she stood up and readied her phone. "Adrien! Marinette! Smile!" They barely had time to react before she took their picture. She had a somewhat catty smirk on her face as she sat back down.

Marinette glanced at Adrien, then marched over to Sabrina's desk and frowned. "Sabrina, you're not conspiring with Chloé, are you? Helping her plan some kind of revenge?"

Sabrina snorted and waved a hand in front of her face. "No no, not at all! Actually, I'm twisting the knife."

Marinette recoiled. "Pardon?"

Sabrina's smile turned cold. "I just spent the entire weekend going back and forth between being punished for enabling Chloé's bullying and hearing lecture after lecture about how she's taken advantage of me and was never really my friend, and I've decided she hasn't suffered enough. I want her to see how happy everyone _else_ is and how much nobody wants or needs her around. Seeing you two together? It's going to—"

"Stop right there," Adrien said, holding up a hand. "What you're doing right now? You're acting just like her. Try just living for yourself and putting Chloé completely out of your mind, alright?" With that, he gave Marinette a peck on the cheek and headed for his seat. Marinette's cheeks turned pink as she sat down behind him.

Adrien turned to Marinette. "Kinda psycho, that one," he whispered.

"Don't even get me started!" Marinette replied with a laugh.

"Wow, look at you two!" Alya said with a grin. "I can't even tell you how awesome it is seeing you together like this."

Nino thumped Adrien on the shoulder. "My man!" he said with a grin. "I always knew you had good taste."

Adrien and Marinette both blushed. "Y-yeah," Marinette said with a silly smile.

They talked amongst themselves for a few minutes as they waited for homeroom to begin. After the emotional rollercoaster the weekend had been, Marinette was ready for a nice, normal week of school, and some time to settle in and adjust to the idea of having Adrien as a boyfriend.

During the middle of roll call, however, all of Marinette's hopes for a normal week were crushed when the classroom door exploded inward, snapped clean in half, and nearly hit Mademoiselle Bustier. Some of the girls screamed; Mademoiselle Bustier jumped backward and pressed herself flat against the blackboard. "What in the—?"

With ominous, clanking steps, a science-fiction nightmare come to life took four measured, precise steps into the room, then turned right at a sharp ninety degree angle. Feminine, with a slender build, her body appeared to be mostly made of fluid black steel; her neck and upper chest were red. The point at which the red and black met was marked with a deep, pitted heart-shaped groove. Her face was an impassive steel mask with glowing dark blue eyes framed by narrow black detailing in the shape of eyeglasses. A stiff, backswept mesh of black wire "hair" crowned her head; on the left side, some of the metal hair was a vivid red.

Adrien gasped sharply. "N-Nathalie?!"

Marinette stared. "Oh my god...it _is_ her," she whispered. "Hawk Moth Akumatized Mademoiselle Sancoeur!"

Nathalie took one step toward Adrien's desk. "You will come with me," she said in a metallic monotone.

Adrien frowned. "Nathalie, you're not yourself. You need to—"

Nathalie moved with impressive speed, picking Adrien up by the shirt. "Nathalie has been deleted. I am designated 'Heartless'. You will come with me," she repeated.

"LET HIM GO!" Marinette yelled, standing up.

Heartless' head turned to face her. "You will inform Ladybug that this boy is now Hawk Moth's prisoner."

"Like hell I am!" Adrien kicked off against Heartless' chest and backflipped away from her, landing on top of Sabrina's table. "I've had the best self-defense training money can buy! You're not taking me that easily!"

Heartless stared at him dispassionately and extended her right arm. Dozens of metallic cables snaked out, entangling his limbs. Within seconds, he was completely wrapped from neck to toe in steel cables. He struggled against his bonds, screaming obscenities. A second, smaller volley of cables wrapped around his eyes and mouth, blindfolding and gagging him. Heartless strode calmly and deliberately toward him and picked him up in a fireman's carry. "You will inform Ladybug that this boy is now Hawk Moth's prisoner," she repeated in the same flat, metallic tone. She then jumped through the outside window, making a loud, heavy _***CLANK***_ as she landed outside.

"Dude, I knew she was a robot, but this is taking it a bit too far," Nino said into the empty silence.

Marinette shot him a glare, then turned to the front of the room, waving a hand urgently. "Mademoiselle Bustier, I need to—"

"NO, Marinette! Absolutely nobody is leaving this room!"

"But—!"

"A student was just kidnapped from my classroom!" Mademoiselle Bustier said sharply. "And not just any student, but the son of Gabriel Agreste! I cannot—I **will not!** —let _any more of you_ out of my sight! Now sit back down _this instant!_ " She pulled her phone out even as the rest of the class stirred into frantic motion, agitated conversation filling the air.

"But—!" Marinette insisted again.

"SIT _**DOWN,**_ MARINETTE!" The room fell silent at the teacher's outburst.

Marinette clenched her fists at her sides, bowing her head. She looked around the room at all the sympathetic faces staring at her. She looked into Alya's worried, sorrowful eyes. She took in the terror on Nino's face.

She felt her own heart throbbing, a deep ache growing in her chest as a cold, sinking pit formed in her stomach.

She grit her teeth.

 _"Merde,"_ she spat. She looked up and gave Mademoiselle Bustier a defiant stare. "Sorry, but I don't have time to argue." Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she shouted, _**"Tikki, spots on!"**_ In a flash of white light, Marinette's clothes were replaced by the bright red, black-spotted, indestructible skintight Ladybug costume.

Every student in the room gasped.

Ladybug looked around at her shellshocked classmates. Every one of them had been present for innumerable Akuma attacks—most of them had _been_ Akumatized. To a one, they were all staring at her with wide eyes and slack jaws.

She looked at Alya, whose face was a mixture of disbelief and betrayal—as well as slowly dawning comprehension as gears began to turn in her head.

She looked at Nino, who mouthed "Wow" at her.

She looked at Mademoiselle Bustier, who had dropped her chalk and whose mouth was working soundlessly.

"Adrien needs me," Ladybug insisted firmly. "I'm the only one who can save him."

Mademoiselle Bustier numbly pointed to the window. "You...you're excused, Marinette—I mean... _Ladybug_."

Nodding her thanks, Ladybug ran to the window, detaching her yo-yo from her hip. Just as she was about to swing out into the city, a weight attached itself to her back. She froze. "What—?" She looked over her shoulder and found herself face-to-face with Alya. "Alya, get off me!"

"Oh _hell_ no, girlfriend," Alya said fiercely. "You owe me _a lot_ of explanations, and I'm not letting you _out of my_ _ **sight**_ until I have answers."

Ladybug groaned. "Ugh! _Fine!_ Hold on tight, then!" Shaking her head in frustration, she swung out into the city, Alya's arms wrapped tightly around her waist. The entire class rushed to the window to watch them depart.

* * *

Adrien was aware of having been shoved into the back of a vehicle. He heard the engine rumble to life, felt the car drive at high speed through the streets of Paris. Robbed of his sight, he had no idea where they were going. With his mouth gagged and his arms bound, he couldn't even transform—although he suspected doing so in front of one of Hawk Moth's minions would be the worst possible thing to do.

Once the vehicle stopped, he was hauled out and carried some distance. He heard doors open; after some time of hearing Heartless' metallic footsteps clank across hard floors, he felt the sensation of being in an elevator.

"I have returned with the boy," Heartless said tonelessly once the elevator stopped.

"Ah, excellent, Heartless!" replied a rich male voice Adrien had heard only once before—many months ago, at the Eiffel Tower, when he and Ladybug had fought Stoneheart. "Untie our guest. I wish to speak with him."

The cables binding Adrien were slowly, laboriously removed. He rubbed his eyes, wincing, and looked around.

He was in a dark chamber, illuminated by a single beam of strong sunlight that flooded into the room through a round window with a wrought iron floral motif. All around the room, white butterflies fluttered aimlessly to and fro.

"Welcome to my butterfly garden."

Adrien looked up as a man stepped into the center of the beam of light. He was tall, dressed in a dark, shimmery purple suit with black leather lapels that flared up past his shoulders, resembling stylized wings that framed a pink butterfly brooch which was pinned to his dark violet shirt. His head was completely covered in a shiny, skintight silver leather cowl; only his cruel mouth and his cold blue eyes were visible. In one black-gloved hand, he held a cane with a translucent jewel at the top.

Adrien swallowed nervously. "Wh-who are you?" he asked.

The man laughed. "I think you know who I am," he said. His eyes shone with malicious delight. "But manners, yes? Very well. I am Hawk Moth. And it is my _immense_ pleasure to finally meet you, Chat Noir."

* * *

Ladybug and Alya swung through the streets, following the gunmetal grey SUV Heartless had taken Adrien away in.

"So all this time—ALL THIS TIME—you've been Ladybug," Alya ranted. "Marinette. My best friend. And you didn't _say_ anything?!"

Ladybug groaned. "Alya, _you're_ the comic book geek here," she said. "Isn't the first rule of superheroes—"

"Protect your secret identity so the people close to you don't get hurt," Alya said. "Yeah yeah, I know. But that's just in comics! This is real life! You're a _real live superhero!_ "

"And you think that makes it any different?" Marinette asked. "You've seen what I'm up against! I can't risk anyone close to me getting hurt because Hawk Moth finds out he can use my friends or family against me!" She sighed. "Not that it's stopped him from Akumatizing my friends and even my _papa_..."

"Okay, okay, fair point," Alya said. "But still, I can't believe you've been Ladybug all this time and you _know_ how obsessed I am and _holy crap my best friend is Ladybug!_ Oh my god, now I know how Jimmy Olsen must feel!"

 _"ALYA!"_ Ladybug snapped. "I _really_ need to concentrate right now! In case you forgot, _my boyfriend's just been kidnapped!_ "

"Oh...right. Sorry." Alya paused. "Wow. That Nathalie chick picked the worst possible day to go after Adrien, huh?" She frowned. "So why _did_ she get turned into a monster and go after Adrien?" She gasped. "Do you think Monsieur Agreste fired her because Adrien ran away from home?"

Ladybug almost missed her next swing. "Ran away from home? What?!"

"You didn't know? Oh—I guess he didn't want to worry you," Alya said. "Yeah, I heard it from Nino. Adrien had a big fight with his dad and walked out on him. He crashed at Nino's place last night."

Ladybug bit off a curse. "I'm definitely having a long talk with him about that after we rescue him."

"Oh, nonononono," Alya said. "You do _not_ want to get involved in someone else's family drama. Trust me."

Ladybug's eyes tracked the SUV, and she grimaced. "Looks like I'm getting involved whether I want to or not," she said. "Look."

Below, the SUV pulled around to the back of the Agreste mansion.

"So what's the plan?" Alya asked.

Ladybug landed on the rooftop of a building a short distance from the mansion. "The plan is _you stay_ _ **put**_ ," she said as she firmly detached Alya from her person. "I've already got one friend in danger. I don't need to worry about _two_." She swung away, launching herself at the mansion like a red cannonball.

Alya crossed her arms. "That's so not fair," she pouted. "You know I can't thwip."

* * *

Adrien barked out a shaky laugh. "You think _I'm_ Chat Noir?" he asked incredulously. "Dude, your mask is on too tight. I'm just a normal kid."

Hawk Moth snorted. "I have little patience for games, child," he said. "I have waited too long for this day. I will not be delayed by your pathetic attempts to feign ignorance." He leaned against his cane, sneering down at Adrien. "Go ahead, Chat Noir," he said. "Transform. If I simply took your Miraculous off your finger now, it would be useless to me. Without its power..." He chuckled darkly. "You won't survive the tender ministrations of my champion."

Adrien clenched his fists, glaring at Hawk Moth. "I don't know what you're talking about," he grunted. "But know this. My father will _never_ rest until—"

Hawk Moth threw his head back and laughed. "Your father is of no concern to me, boy! The only one coming to save you is your precious Ladybug, and I _want her to come_." He extended a gloved hand, palm turned upward and spread open. "The ladybug Miraculous and the black cat Miraculous. Together, they represent absolute power." He curled his hand into a fist. "Together, they will make my dream a reality. And all that stands between me and everything I desire is you and that wretched girl." He rapped his cane sharply on the floor. "All you need to do is give me your Miraculous." His lip curled into a sneer. "Or, fight Heartless until you wear yourself out. Even if you manage to defeat her on your own and release her Akuma, you know what would happen without Ladybug here to capture it, right?"

"Tch," Adrien spat, his jaw tightening.

"You can either surrender your Miraculous willingly, or we can force you to transform, and then I will take it by any means necessary," Hawk Moth commanded coldly. Then, he grinned wickedly. "How about this as an added incentive? Do you not realize, Chat Noir, that this is your chance? Here we are, face to face at last. If you can best my champion in combat and defeat me, you can take _my_ Miraculous. Then, this will all be over!" He spread his arms wide. "Paris, safe forever from rampaging supervillains! Your life returned to one of peace and tranquility! You and Ladybug free from the endless cycle of battling my evil Akuma!" He tapped the butterfly brooch he wore. "One way or another, one of us is leaving here without his Miraculous." He narrowed his eyes. "Now, _make your choice._ "

Adrien looked up at him, eyes hard and determined. "Alright, Hawk Moth. If that's the way you want it?" He curled his right hand into a fist.

 _ **"Plagg, claws out!"**_

* * *

Ladybug prowled the halls of the mansion, searching for any sign of Adrien or Heartless. The entire house was eerily quiet. She crept into the grand atrium, her footsteps echoing through the cavernous room. "Alright, Mademoiselle Sancoeur," she said to herself, "where are you hiding my Adrien?" She walked up the first set of steps, examining the enormous family portrait on the landing. Her eyes filled with tears, and she clenched a fist. Shaking her head, she made her way to the room where Gabriel Agreste had activated the mansion's security system during the Jackady incident.

As soon as she set foot in the room, she spotted something out of place. The large portrait of Adrien's mother hung loosely from the wall by the two corners on the left side. Frowning, she walked over to the painting, examining it. She slipped her fingers behind the loose side and pulled. It easily swung away from the wall on sturdy hinges. Ladybug peered closely at the wall behind the portrait. She could just barely see seams, carefully hidden by the diamond pattern of the wall. A small, almost invisible sliding handle sat to the left, near the hinges holding the painting in place. "A secret room?" She carefully slid the false wall panel open, revealing a cramped, hollow space behind it containing a hexagonal lift platform. From somewhere above, she heard loud, metallic clanks. She narrowed her eyes and stepped onto the lift. There was a single button set into a handrail. She pressed it; the platform juddered, then began to ascend. She looked up and watched a panel in the ceiling slide open, yawning onto darkness with hazy light at the edges. The metallic sounds became more pronounced, along with familiar grunts of exertion.

She detached her yo-yo from her hip, every muscle in her body tensing.

* * *

Chat Noir's baton clashed against Heartless' steel skin once, twice, then a third time before he skidded across the chamber, crouching low to the ground in a three-point stance, his baton held parallel to the floor and perpendicular to his body. "I don't want to fight you, Nathalie!" he yelled.

"Nathalie has been deleted. I am designated 'Heartless'. You will surrender your Miraculous by choice or by force." Heartless' eyes flashed brightly; she extended her right hand, firing five tiny tracer missiles. Chat Noir leapt straight into the air, spinning his baton to form a shield against which the missiles exploded harmlessly. He extended his baton to the floor, contracted it for two seconds, then extended it again to vault himself to the ceiling. He coiled his legs and left arm against the ceiling, then launched himself at Heartless, spinning his baton above his head with a wordless yell. Heartless dispassionately launched a net of cables to intercept him.

A red yo-yo wound itself around the net, yanking it off course and sending it skittering against a far wall hidden in the shadows. The yo-yo jerked back, wound itself around Heartless' legs, and pulled hard, sending her crashing to the floor.

Chat Noir landed, leaning heavily against his baton and taking deep, gasping breaths. He looked up through dripping bangs at Ladybug, who stood atop Heartless, her eyes burning with fury. "What kept you?" he asked lightly.

"Oh, you know, it takes us girls a while to get dressed before going out on a date," Ladybug said with a smirk. She looked around the room. "So is this your dad's panic room or something?"

Chat Noir blinked. "What?"

"I mean, the secret entrance behind your mother's portrait, the super high tech elevator, it just seems like a panic room kind of thing to me."

Chat Noir stood to his full height, collapsing his baton. "What are you talking about?"

Ladybug blinked. "You mean you don't know where you are?"

"Yeah, this is Hawk Moth's lair," Chat Noir said slowly, his brow furrowing.

"Indeed it is, Ladybug!" Hawk Moth stepped out of the shadows, cane tucked under one arm, and clapped his hands slowly and sarcastically. "So good of you to join us. Heartless, her Miraculous, if you please."

"At once, Hawk Moth." Ladybug barely had time to react before she was propelled into the air by Heartless. She somersaulted away, landing at Chat Noir's side, staring down their foes while she twirled her yo-yo at her side.

"So, _this_ is the notorious Hawk Moth," Ladybug said. "Nice to finally meet you face to face."

"Likewise," Hawk Moth said, sketching a bow. He raised a hand to stop Heartless, who was about to fire another volley of tracers; Heartless took a step back, arms at her side, awaiting orders. Hawk Moth leaned against his cane, a cruel smirk on his face. "I believe we can postpone the festivities for a moment longer. You seem as though you have something you wish to say."

"Yeah, I do," Ladybug said. "First of all, why is your secret lair in Gabriel Agreste's mansion?"

Chat Noir's eyes widened.

Hawk Moth chuckled. "That, Ladybug, is an excellent question, and one I reluctantly must refuse to answer."

"Okay then, how about this: why are you after our Miraculous?"

Hawk Moth gave her a surprised smile. "Oh? You do not know the history of your own Miraculous?" He laughed. "I suppose I should have expected as much, though I would have expected the son of Gabriel Agreste to be more informed." He glanced at Chat Noir. "Surely you know the history, no?"

Chat Noir scowled. "Stop trying to provoke me," he said.

Ladybug blinked. "He knows you're—"

"Yeah."

Hawk Moth laughed darkly. "I know a great many things, Ladybug, though I must confess...your identity still eludes me. But no matter. I shall know soon enough." He shook his head. "We have dawdled long enough. Once I have your Miraculous, you will understand everything. Heartless, you may continue."

"At once, Hawk Moth." Heartless shot a steel cable from her arm, snapping it like a whip. She sprinted toward the teens, who leapt to the sides, their weapons lashing out. Heartless' fluid steel skin shrugged off their attacks with ease; she caught Ladybug around the ankle and slammed her into the floor.

"LADYBUG!" Chat Noir sprinted over, his body parallel to the ground as he arced his baton out to sweep Heartless' legs. She failed to fall; her cable wrapped around Chat Noir's neck and slung him across the room to land in a heap.

"Careful, Heartless," Hawk Moth said. "I don't want Chat Noir to die."

"Really? Because you've sure done a heck of a job of trying to _kill us_ over the past year!" Ladybug shouted. Her yo-yo flashed out and seized Hawk Moth around the waist, dragging him to the ground. He let out a grunt of surprise, but quickly slipped his cane beneath her cable and pried it loose. He pushed himself up, grimacing.

"Careful, Ladybug," he said as he brushed dust from his suit. "I only said I don't want him to _die_. I have no problems whatsoever with crippling him. Heartless!"

"Understood, Hawk Moth."

"NO!" Ladybug yelled as Heartless sprinted toward Chat Noir, cables lashing around his knees and wrists. He grunted and strained against the hold.

"Give me your Miraculous, Ladybug!" Hawk Moth yelled, his face twisted into an expression of manic triumph. "If you don't want to see this boy broken and beaten into the ground, _TAKE! OFF! YOUR! EARRINGS!_ "

"DON'T DO IT, LADYBUG!" Chat Noir screamed. His scream became a strangled cry of pain as Heartless' cables pulled at his limbs.

 _"ADRIEN!"_ Ladybug screamed, eyes wide and full of tears. She turned away from the sight of Chat Noir being tortured, then glared hatefully at Hawk Moth. _"LET HIM GO!"_

"Your Miraculous!" Hawk Moth demanded. "It's the only way!"

Ladybug bowed her head, clenching her fists at her side. "You'll release him? Unharmed?"

"You have my word," Hawk Moth said. "I have no particular desire to see Chat Noir suffer."

"NO!" Chat Noir yelled.

Ladybug sighed. "Fine." She reached up to her ears...

 _"DON'T DO IT, MARINETTE!"_

...and removed her earrings. In a flash, her transformation broke, leaving Marinette holding her earrings in one hand, tears spilling from her eyes. Tikki hovered in front of her, eyes wide and sad.

Hawk Moth grinned savagely. "Good, good!" he said. "Now, hand them over!"

"I'm sorry, Tikki," Marinette whispered, bringing the earrings to her lips and kissing them.

"I know, Marinette."

Marinette looked up fiercely. "You _will_ release Chat Noir," she insisted.

"Of course," Hawk Moth replied with a single nod, holding his hand out expectantly.

Marinette walked toward him, head bowed, holding out her hand, fingers curled around the Miraculous. As soon as she was within arm's reach, her hand poised above his, her head snapped up, a defiant glare in her eyes. Her other hand struck forward like a cobra, plucking the Butterfly Miraculous from Hawk Moth's chest.

 _"WHAT?!"_ Hawk Moth yelled. _"NO!"_ Dark purple bands of light washed over his body as bright pink flashes of light ribboned over his suit and cowl like cracks. His transformation exploded away from his body in a flurry of pink and lavender butterflies made of light, which flew to the corners of the room and vanished.

Gabriel Agreste stood in the center of the sunbeam, screaming his rage at the ceiling, as a pink Kwami flew away from him, coming to rest on Marinette's shoulder.

 _"FATHER?!"_ Chat Noir cried in disbelief, sinking to his knees as Heartless' cables released him. Heartless took a step away, her head bowed.

"Adrien," she said in as soft a tone as her metallic voice would allow. "Please...forgive me..."

Gabriel lunged at Marinette. _"GIVE ME BACK MY MIRACULOUS!"_ he roared.

Marinette stepped to the side, sticking out one foot to trip him. He crashed to the floor, landing on his face.

Chat Noir rubbed his wrists and walked over to his father, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him to his knees. _"WHY?"_ he snarled.

Gabriel looked into his eyes, his face drawn. "For her," he said roughly. "For your mother." He looked between the two teenagers. "I..." He bowed his head. "The Ladybug Miraculous and the Black Cat Miraculous...together, they give a single person unlimited power. Creation and destruction. I..." He swallowed. "I could bring her back. I could...I could turn back time, keep her safe. We could be a family again." He looked up at Chat Noir pleadingly. "Adrien, _please._ We could be a _family..._ "

Chat Noir threw him roughly to the ground. "Do you think she'd want that? Do you think she'd be happy with what you've done?" He bowed his head, clenching his fists at his sides. "I want to see her again more than anything," he said. "But we...we can't live in the past. If she's out there, if she's still alive, I'll find her one day. I want to know what happened to her just as badly as you do. But this? This whole plan of yours? It's _insane_. She would never want this. _I_ don't want this." He looked up at Marinette and swallowed, licking his lips. "I've moved on, Father. I've decided to live. It still hurts, but...I have friends. I have someone I love."

Gabriel pushed himself to his feet, straightening his jacket. "Son, if you would just take Ladybug's Miraculous...combine its power with your own..."

 _"And WHAT?"_ Chat Noir snarled. "Become a god? Decide what the world is supposed to be? Father, that's _nonsense!_ " He reversed his transformation; as Plagg popped out of his ring, he put his hands on Gabriel's shoulders. "What happened to you?" he demanded hoarsely.

Gabriel brushed him off and turned away, mouth set into a grim line.

Marinette finished putting her earrings back on, then stepped between the two, waving a hand. "Umm...I'm sorry to interrupt," she said, "but Mademoiselle Sancoeur is still Akumatized. Shouldn't she—?"

"The Butterfly Miraculous' power works differently from yours, Ladybug," the pink Kwami said.

"Nooroo, are you alright?" Tikki asked. "You look awful."

"This past year hasn't been easy for me," Nooroo said. "I've..." He glanced at Gabriel. "Nevermind that. Once a champion has been empowered by the Miraculous, there are only three ways to restore their humanity. You already know one: the power of the Ladybug Miraculous. The second is for the wielder of the Butterfly Miraculous to release them. The third, well...the third is death."

Marinette frowned. "Alright. Tikki, as soon as you recharge, then I can—"

"You cannot save Nathalie, Ladybug," Gabriel interrupted. He looked Marinette in the eyes. "The Akuma is in her pacemaker."

"Pacemaker?!" Adrien and Marinette cried, staring at him in shock.

"She was born with a heart defect," Gabriel said. "Her father and I were close friends once. He begged me to..." He bowed his head. "I paid for the many operations necessary to keep Nathalie alive." He looked across the room at Heartless. "You cannot reach her Akuma without using Chat Noir's Cataclysm. Which will kill her immediately."

"No," Marinette whispered, drooping.

"You _bastard,_ " Adrien growled, fists clenched at his sides. "How _could you?_ "

"There's still a way to save her," Gabriel said. "Give me back my Miraculous. I can release her."

"You're never putting on the Miraculous _ever again!_ " Marinette shouted. "I looked up to you! For years! You've been my idol, my inspiration! How...how _could you_ , you heartless _monster?!_ "

"Everything I've done has been for my family," Gabriel replied dispassionately. He adjusted his ascot and straightened his glasses, then calmly stepped backward into the shadows. "This is not over, Ladybug, Chat Noir," he promised. "Enjoy your victory while it lasts. Even without the Butterfly Miraculous, I will do whatever it takes to see all my dreams become reality."

"STOP!" Marinette yelled. She and Adrien charged into the shadows. Adrien pulled his phone out and activated the flashlight app, searching the darkness.

There was a grinding sound from somewhere behind the wall. Distantly, they heard the roar of a motorcycle engine.

"Father," Adrien said numbly, his shoulders slumping.

Heartless approached them, her footsteps clanking on the cold floor. "It seems I have no alternative but to exist like this for all time, or accept death," she said.

Marinette's jaw tightened. "No," she said. "I _will_ save you." She looked down at the Butterfly Miraculous, which she still clutched in her hand. She looked at Nooroo, who was hovering nearby. She opened her purse and pulled out a plastic bag containing two cookies. She broke one in half and offered it to Nooroo. "Here," she said.

Nooroo blinked. "Th-thank you, Ladybug," he said.

"Marinette," Ladybug said with a smile. "I'm Marinette." As Nooroo ate, she studied the Butterfly Miraculous, her brow furrowed.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked. "What are you—"

Nodding firmly, Marinette pinned the brooch to her jacket.

"Wait, Marinette! You can't just—you don't know what'll—!" Adrien protested.

Marinette smiled at him. "Trust me, Kitty." She took a deep breath. _**"Nooroo, become my wings!"**_

Nooroo flew into the Miraculous, which grew bright pink wings. Marinette spun in place as her clothing transformed into a bright pink bodysuit with shiny purple leather boots and gloves that reached her knees and elbows, respectively. Large, angelic pink butterfly wings exploded from her back, twin tails trailing to her ankles, lavender darkening to violet. A purple butterfly mask covered her eyes, and a slim, tapered wand appeared in her hand.

She smiled serenely as she flew— _flew_ —over to Heartless, placing her gloved hand on one steel shoulder.

 _ **Champion, I release you. Return to your human form.**_

A swarm of pink butterflies engulfed Heartless. The black Akuma emerged from her chest, turning pure white of its own volition and fluttering up to the ceiling. Slowly, the steel form of Heartless was replaced by the prim, professional Nathalie Sancoeur. She blinked rapidly, reaching up to adjust her glasses.

"Th-thank you," she said. She rushed over to Adrien and swept him up in a hug. "I'm so sorry! And...and about your father..."

Adrien's eyes widened. "You...you _remember?_ Everything?"

"Yes," Nathalie said, tears welling in her eyes.

In a bright flash, Marinette returned to normal, and Nooroo flew across the room. "When used the way it was meant to be used, the champions empowered by the Butterfly Miraculous retain their memories," he explained. "Hawk Moth's corruption of the Miraculous forced Ladybug to free them using her power, which erased all memory of everything they said and did while changed." He turned and regarded Marinette. "You have no idea what you've just done, do you?"

"I've saved the life of someone very important to the boy I love," Marinette said, looking down at the brooch pinned to her jacket. "Right now, that's all I care about." She walked over and pulled Adrien from Nathalie's embrace, wrapping her arms around him. Nathalie stepped back and gave them space as they held each other, drawing on one another for strength.

The window irised shut, casting the lair of Hawk Moth in darkness for the last time.

* * *

Gabriel Agreste scowled as his motorcycle roared through the streets of Paris.

Gone. Everything gone. Ruined! All because of that _girl_...

And his son. His eyes tightened.

"Adrien. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You will _not_ stand in my way. I was so close...!"

He made a sharp turn; his only immediate plan was to escape to the south of France as quickly as possible. There was no doubt in his mind that within the hour, he would be a wanted fugitive. He had to move quickly...

"This isn't over, you wretched girl!"

* * *

Marinette, Adrien, and Nathalie stood in Gabriel Agreste's vacated office, their faces solemn.

"Adrien," Nathalie began, "I...I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am. Your father..."

Adrien shook his head, raising a hand to cut her off. "As far as I'm concerned, Father died at the same time Mother disappeared. I don't know who that man is." He paused, then clenched a fist. "No. I _do_ know who that man is. That man is Hawk Moth, and it's my responsibility to find him and make him answer for his crimes."

" _Our_ responsibility," Marinette said softly, wrapping her arms around Adrien and leaning her head on his shoulder. "We're in this together."

Adrien laid his hands over hers. "I only ask one thing of you," he said. "No one must know my father is Hawk Moth. Not yet. I..." He swallowed.

"I understand," Marinette said, giving him a firm squeeze as tears leaked from her eyes. "You've suffered enough already."

Nathalie adjusted her glasses. "What...what do we do about his disappearance?" she asked. "Gabriel Agreste can't simply vanish from the face of the Earth without raising questions, investigations..."

Adrien looked up at her. "You practically run his business," he said. "If you convince everyone he's gone on sabbatical, or is in seclusion, or...or has fallen ill, they'll accept it without question. We keep things running, I continue doing the photo shoots...we make it appear as though everything is normal." He sighed. "Father is such an elusive and unapproachable man to begin with that I don't think anyone will suspect anything."

Nathalie nodded. "Alright." She frowned. "Just in case, I need to get you up to speed on everything you'll need to know to...to take over."

Adrien sighed. "Alright."

Marinette frowned. "What do we do about, you know, new designs? This isn't going to work if his brand just stops out of nowhere. People are going to know."

Adrien frowned. He looked at Nathalie, who shrugged helplessly. After a moment, Adrien broke free of Marinette's embrace and turned, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I guess...that's where you come in," he said.

"Me?!" Marinette repeated, eyes wide.

Adrien shrugged. "Father liked your hat, Jagged Stone liked your album cover...I think you can—no, I _know_ you can do this." He stared deeply into her eyes. _"Please,"_ , he whispered hoarsely.

Marinette swallowed heavily. "A-alright."

"What do we do with the Butterfly Miraculous?" Plagg asked suddenly. "No one person is meant to wield two Miraculous at the same time, after all."

"But at the same time, we can't risk its power falling into the wrong hands again," Tikki pointed out.

Marinette sighed. "We'll worry about that later. For now, you're all just going to have to trust me to keep it safe."

"Hey, if we can't trust Ladybug, who _can_ we trust?" Adrien said with a ghost of his usual rakish grin.

Marinette's phone rang. She blinked, then pulled it out. Her eyes widened. "ALYA! Oh my god, I just _left_ her—"

The door to the office slammed open, and Alya stormed in, disconnecting the call before Marinette could answer it. She marched up to Marinette and shook an angry finger in her face. "Don't you ever. _EVER!_ Leave me on a rooftop like that again what are those flying things?"

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a look and laughed shakily.

"I guess...since you know...it's time to tell you everything," Marinette said.

* * *

 **Epilogue**

* * *

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Alya stood on a rooftop overlooking Collège Françoise Dupont, which was surrounded by reporters and television news crews, all fighting to overcome a police cordon.

"Yikes," Chat Noir said. "I guess I'd better transform back so you can officially 'rescue' me."

"Oh, they're not here for you," Alya said. "Well, not entirely." She coughed and pushed her glasses up. "I...might have forgotten to tell you this when you were sharing your mind-blowing secrets with me? But...someone in our class leaked what happened."

Ladybug turned and glared at her, eyes narrowed.

Alya waved her hands in a wide-eyed warding gesture. "Wasn't me!" she protested. "Do you really think I'd tell the whole world your identity after—"

"YES!" Ladybug and Chat Noir both said.

"Sorry, Alya, but you really kinda would," Chat Noir pointed out.

Alya's shoulders slumped. "Okay, so I probably would," she admitted. "But this time, I didn't." She frowned. "I think it was Sabrina."

"Makes sense," Adrien said. "She's on a vindictive streak against Chloé. If Chloé found out you were really Ladybug, it'd break her."

"Hmm. That _alone_ makes it tempting to let the world know my secret," Ladybug said. "Still...I'd really rather not have my whole life turned upside down like that just yet." She frowned. "Is there _any_ proof?"

"You mean besides the dozen or so eyewitnesses?" Alya asked, arching an eyebrow. At Ladybug's glare, she sighed and shook her head. "Nobody got pictures or video that _conclusively_ prove you're Ladybug. I mean, there's pictures of Ladybug leaving the room, but nothing from you transforming."

Ladybug nodded thoughtfully. "Then as long as everyone who was there can keep quiet, we can still fix this." She looked at Alya, tilting her head. "That is, if you're willing to help us cover this up."

Alya frowned. "I don't see how that's even possible at this point, but..." She shook her head and sighed. "It's funny. I've spent so much time trying to expose Ladybug, but now..." She looked between her two friends. "I guess now, I have every reason in the world to _want_ to protect your secret."

Ladybug smiled. "That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say." She reversed her transformation, then touched the brooch on her lapel. **_"Nooroo, become my wings!"_**

Alya's eyes widened as Marinette transformed again, this time into her shining pink butterfly costume.

Marinette folded her arms over her chest in a V, her hands extended flat, palms toward her shoulders, fingers pointing into the sky. A stream of white butterflies fluttered from the tip of her wand. She held out one hand, and a single butterfly alighted on it. She covered the butterfly with her other hand, closing her eyes. It turned a bright pink, then fluttered up to Alya's face and sank into her glasses. A purple hologram, shaped like the outline of a butterfly, formed over her face; a similar one formed over Marinette's.

And a soft voice filled Alya's mind even as the same voice spoke two feet in front of her:

 ** _Cover Story, I am Papillon. I grant you the power to protect your friends' secrets until such time as you choose to be released from this obligation._**

Alya smiled. "Okay, Papillon."

Pink butterflies swirled around her body, and she transformed into an exact copy of Ladybug. Papillon released her transformation and nodded to Chat Noir, who stared between the two in confusion.

"Okay, what just happened?" he asked, blinking.

Marinette smiled. "Come on. Let's go save _our_ day."

* * *

 _"—son of renowned fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, was kidnapped from Collège Françoise Dupont this morning. He has been safely rescued by Ladybug and Chat Noir, who in a press conference outside the school announced the defeat of the supervillain Hawk Moth, purported to be the source of every supervillain attack on Paris in the past year._

 _"In a related story, an alleged leak of the true identity of Ladybug earlier today has been refuted, as the girl purported to be Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, was seen in the company of Ladybug and Adrien Agreste, having snuck out of school on her own—"_

Marinette turned off the television and flumped back on her bed. "So I'm grounded for a week— _again_ ," she said tiredly.

Chat Noir grimaced. "So much for going to the movies this Saturday," he said.

Marinette shrugged. "They might let me off the hook early. I was so worried about my boyfriend I wasn't thinking straight, after all."

"You sure weren't," Chat Noir agreed with a grin. "So, Alya's _your_ Akuma now."

"Not my Akuma," Marinette said. "My _Champion_. The best part is, nobody ever has to know she has shapeshifting powers, so until I figure out what to do with the Butterfly Miraculous..."

"Alya with superpowers. I honestly hoped I'd never see that happen again."

Marinette giggled. "Well, Cover Story isn't as dangerous as Lady Wifi was."

"This _is_ still Alya, right?" Chat Noir sighed. "Well, I'd better get home. There's a lot to do, and I don't think your parents catching me up here is a good idea."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed. "See you at school tomorrow," she said, standing up.

"Looking forward to it, My Lady," Chat Noir replied, leaning close. He brushed Marinette's hair away from her face, then closed his eyes. Marinette leaned in, her own eyes closed as her lips met his.

When she opened her eyes again, Chat Noir was gone. She smiled happily, touching her lips with her fingertips, then lay down on her bed, giggling dreamily.

Across the room, still pinned to her jacket, the Butterfly Miraculous twinkled.

* * *

"Master? What do we do about the Butterfly Miraculous? Nooroo is safe, but—"

Master Fu smiled as he looked out into the night sky. "We trust the ladybug," he said. "After all, it was time to start passing on the Miraculous and their secrets anyway..."

 **FIN.**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Wow.

A week ago, I wasn't planning to even _try_ to write Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction until after Nickelodeon finished running the first season.

Then they pulled the plug on it. Then I spent two days binge-watching every episode aired in French so far. And then I had ideas. And more ideas. And ideas that folded together into bigger ideas.

And then I watched "Jackady", and then I had even _more_ ideas.

One week and almost 30,000 words later, here we are.

If the ending to this story surprised you, don't worry. It surprised me too. I wasn't _quite_ planning to end this the way I did.

You'll notice I left plenty of room for a sequel. I'm not making any promises. In all honesty, I'd rather wait until after the last two unaired episodes of season one air before I even _think_ about picking this up again. Plus, I've sort of got a lot of other fanfics to deal with, almost all of which are Friendship is Magic/Equestria Girls stuff and not on this site.

I hope you've enjoyed being taken along on this little ride with me. If you enjoyed reading this half as much as I enjoyed writing it, then it was time well spent.

* * *

 _Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, and Thomas ASTRUC. This intellectual property is used without permission with no intent to profit from said use. The unique content contained on this page is the property of Mythril Moth, and redistribution of this content without express permission is strongly discouraged._


	4. Sequel Announcement

An ongoing sequel to this story is now available for reading. The sequel, "Disastrous", will be updated as time permits—I'm shifting focus back to my _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_ and _Equestria Girls_ works, but will continue to write for _Miraculous Ladybug_ as time and inclination permit. Look under my user profile for "Disastrous"!


End file.
